🔗 Share this article European Lawmakers Decide to Prohibit Meat-Related Terms for Plant-Based Products In a significant decision on Wednesday, MEPs voted by a margin of 355-247 to reserve food names such as "burger" and "sausage" exclusively for meat products. What the Decision Means If the measure is implemented, popular vegetarian items such as plant-based burgers, soy steak, and vegetable schnitzel may need to change their names throughout EU markets. Nevertheless, before the restriction to be enforced, it needs to gain approval from most of the EU's 27 member states, something that remains uncertain. Key Debate Behind the Proposal Supporters argue that consumers need clear labeling and while traditional names must exclusively refer to products derived from animals. "An escalope and sausages represent products from our livestock: not synthetic production or plant products," said French MEP Céline Imart. Critics, including Green MEPs, called the decision political tactics. "Veggie burgers, wheat schnitzel and soy sausage don't mislead consumers, only certain lawmakers," said Austria's Green MEP Thomas Waitz. Previous Efforts and Judicial Context This marks another attempt to regulate these names. The European parliament rejected a similar prohibition in four years ago. The French government previously introduced a national ban on meat terms for plant-based foods in recent years, but the European court of justice determined it invalid under European legislation in this year. Industry and Public Response Major Germany's supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl oppose the measure, cautioning that altering familiar terms would confuse consumers. Advocacy organizations point to surveys showing that most consumers comprehend product labels as long as items are clearly marked as vegetarian. "Nearly seventy percent of consumers understand the terminology as long as items are explicitly labelled plant-based," noted Irina Popescu, a consumer officer at BEUC. What Following the Vote The proposal now faces review by EU member states, and it must secure majority approval to be enacted. Considering the divided views among both lawmakers and the public, the future of the proposal remains uncertain.