đź”— Share this article EU Lawmakers Vote to Ban Meat-Based Names for Vegetarian Products During a major vote this week, MEPs voted 355 to 247 to restrict food names including "burger" and "sausage" exclusively for meat products. The Decision Signifies If the measure becomes law, popular plant-based items such as veggie burgers, tofu steak, and cauliflower schnitzel could need to change their names throughout EU countries. Nevertheless, before the ban to be enforced, it must receive approval from most of the 27 EU countries, something that is far from certain. The Arguments Behind the Measure Proponents argue that consumers need clear information and while traditional names must only refer to products derived from livestock. "An escalope and sausages represent products from our livestock: not synthetic production nor vegetable sources," stated French lawmaker CĂ©line Imart. Critics, including Green MEPs, described the decision populist tactics. "Veggie burgers, seitan schnitzel and soy sausage do not confuse consumers, just certain lawmakers," declared Austrian lawmaker Thomas Waitz. Past Attempts and Legal Background This isn't the first effort to control such names. The European parliament rejected a comparable prohibition in 2020. The French government previously introduced a national restriction on meat terms for vegetarian products in recent years, but EU courts ruled it invalid under European legislation in this year. Business and Public Response Leading German retailers including Aldi and Lidl object to the proposal, warning that altering familiar terms would confuse consumers. Consumer groups cite surveys showing that the majority of shoppers understand these names as long as products are clearly marked as vegan. "Nearly 70% of consumers understand the terminology provided products are explicitly marked vegan or vegetarian," noted Irina Popescu, a food policy expert at BEUC. What Next The proposal now faces review by European governments, and it needs to obtain broad support to be enacted. Considering the divided views within both politicians and the general population, the future of the proposal remains unclear.