🔗 Share this article European Lawmakers Vote to Prohibit Meat-Related Terms for Vegetarian Products During a major vote on Wednesday, European Parliament members decided 355 to 247 to restrict food names including "burger" and "sausage" solely for meat products. The Vote Means If the measure becomes law, common plant-based items like plant-based burgers, soy steak, and cauliflower schnitzel may need to be renamed across EU countries. However, before the restriction to be enforced, it needs to gain support from a majority of the EU's 27 member states, which is far from certain. Key Debate Behind the Proposal Proponents contend that customers require clear information and that traditional names should only describe items from livestock. "An escalope or a sausage are products from animal farming: not synthetic production nor plant products," stated France's MEP Céline Imart. Opponents, led by Green MEPs, called the decision political maneuvering. "Plant-based burgers, seitan schnitzel and soy sausage do not confuse shoppers, just rightwing politicians," declared Austrian Green MEP Thomas Waitz. Previous Attempts and Judicial Background The isn't the first attempt to regulate these terminology. The European parliament voted down a comparable ban in four years ago. France previously introduced a national ban on meat terms for vegetarian products in recent years, but the European court of justice determined it invalid under European legislation in 2024. Business and Public Reaction Leading Germany's retailers including Aldi and Lidl object to the measure, cautioning that altering established names would mislead shoppers. Advocacy organizations point to surveys showing that most shoppers comprehend these names as long as products are properly marked as vegetarian. "Almost seventy percent of shoppers recognize these names as long as items are clearly labelled vegan or vegetarian," noted Irina Popescu, a consumer officer at BEUC. What Comes Next This proposal next faces review by EU member states, and it must secure majority approval to become law. Considering the divided views within both politicians and the general population, the future of this initiative is still unclear.