EU Lawmakers Push To Ban Plant-Based Food Terms

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: MEPs voted on Wednesday by 355 in favor to 247 against to reserve names such as 'steak', 'burger' and 'sausage' exclusively for products derived from meat, a longstanding demand of farm unions. In order to come into effect, the idea would have to be approved by a majority of the EU's 27 member states, which is far from certain. The vote is a victory for the French centre-right MEP Celine Imart, who drafted the amendment to legislation intended to strengthen the position of farmers in the food supply chain.

Imart, who is also a cereals farmer in north-west France, said: 'A steak, an escalope or a sausage are products from our livestock, not laboratory art nor plant products. There is a need for transparency and clarity for the consumer and recognition for the work of our farmers.' She argues the proposal is in line with EU rules that already ban the use of terms such as 'milk' and 'yoghurt' for non-dairy products.

The European parliament rejected a ban on meaty names for plant-based products in 2020, but the 2024 elections shifted the parliament to the right, bringing in more lawmakers who seek close ties with farmers. Opposition was led by Green MEPs, who decried what they saw as a populist move to rename plant-based foods. 'Veggie burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage do not confuse consumers, only rightwing politicians,' Thomas Waitz, an Austrian Green MEP, said after the vote. 'This tactic is a diversion and a pathetic smokescreen. No farmer will earn more money or secure their future with this ban.'

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