EU Lawmakers Decide to Ban Meat-Related Names for Plant-Based Foods

During a major decision on Wednesday, European Parliament members decided by a margin of 355-247 to reserve food names including "steak" and "schnitzel" solely for meat products.

The Vote Signifies

Should this proposal is implemented, common vegetarian items like plant-based burgers, tofu steak, and cauliflower schnitzel may have to change their names across EU markets.

Nevertheless, for the restriction to be enforced, it must receive approval from a majority of the 27 EU countries, which is far from certain.

The Debate Surrounding the Measure

Proponents contend that consumers require transparent information and while traditional names should exclusively refer to items derived from animals.

"A steak or a sausage are products from our livestock: not from synthetic production nor vegetable sources," stated French MEP the proposal's author.

Opponents, led by environmental lawmakers, described the decision political tactics.

"Veggie burgers, wheat schnitzel and soy sausage don't mislead consumers, only certain lawmakers," said Austrian lawmaker Thomas Waitz.

Past Attempts and Legal Background

This marks another effort to control such terminology. The European parliament voted down a similar prohibition in 2020.

France earlier introduced a domestic restriction on meat terms for vegetarian products in recent years, but EU courts ruled it illegal under European legislation in 2024.

Industry and Consumer Reaction

Leading German retailers such as Aldi and Lidl object to the proposal, warning that changing established terms would mislead consumers.

Advocacy organizations point to research showing that most consumers understand these names when items are properly identified as vegetarian.

"Almost seventy percent of consumers understand the terminology as long as items are clearly labelled vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a consumer officer at BEUC.

What Comes Next

The proposal next faces review by EU member states, and it must obtain broad support to be enacted.

Given the divided opinions within both lawmakers and the public, the outcome of this initiative is still uncertain.