đź”— Share this article EU Parliament Decide to Prohibit Meat-Based Names for Vegetarian Products During a significant decision on Wednesday, MEPs decided 355 to 247 to restrict product terms including "burger" and "schnitzel" exclusively for animal-derived foods. What the Decision Signifies If this proposal is implemented, popular plant-based products like plant-based burgers, soy steak, and cauliflower schnitzel could have to change their names throughout EU markets. However, for the ban to be enforced, it needs to receive approval from a majority of the 27 EU member states, which remains uncertain. The Debate Behind the Proposal Proponents contend that customers require transparent labeling and while meat terms should exclusively describe items derived from livestock. "An escalope or a sausage represent products from animal farming: not laboratory art or plant products," stated France's MEP the proposal's author. Critics, led by Green MEPs, called the decision unnecessary regulation. "Plant-based burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage do not confuse consumers, only certain lawmakers," declared Austria's Green MEP Thomas Waitz. Previous Attempts and Judicial Background This isn't the first effort to regulate these terminology. The European parliament voted down a similar ban in 2020. France earlier enacted a national restriction on meat terms for plant-based foods in recent years, but EU courts determined it illegal under European legislation in this year. Business and Public Response Major German supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl oppose the proposal, warning that altering familiar terms would mislead shoppers. Advocacy organizations point to research indicating that the majority of shoppers understand product labels when products are clearly identified as vegetarian. "Nearly seventy percent of shoppers understand these names provided items are explicitly labelled vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a food policy officer at BEUC. What Comes Next This legislative measure next requires consideration by EU member states, where it needs to secure majority support to be enacted. Considering the mixed views within both politicians and the public, the outcome of this initiative is still unclear.