During a major vote this week, European Parliament members decided by a margin of 355-247 to restrict food names including "steak" and "sausage" solely for animal-derived foods.
Should the measure becomes law, common plant-based items like plant-based burgers, soy steak, and vegetable schnitzel could need to be renamed throughout European Union countries.
Nevertheless, for the ban to be enforced, it must gain approval from a majority of the EU's 27 countries, which is uncertain.
Supporters contend that customers need transparent labeling and that traditional names must exclusively describe products from animals.
"A steak and sausages represent goods from our livestock: not from synthetic production or vegetable sources," stated French lawmaker Céline Imart.
Critics, including environmental lawmakers, described the move pointless regulation.
"Veggie burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage do not confuse consumers, just rightwing politicians," said Austria's lawmaker Thomas Waitz.
The isn't the first effort to control these names. EU lawmakers rejected a comparable prohibition in four years ago.
France previously introduced a national restriction on traditional names for vegetarian products in recent years, but the European court of justice determined it illegal under EU law in 2024.
Major Germany's supermarkets including Aldi and Lidl oppose the proposal, warning that changing established names would mislead shoppers.
Consumer groups cite surveys indicating that most shoppers comprehend these names when products are properly marked as vegan.
"Nearly seventy percent of shoppers understand the terminology provided items are explicitly labelled vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a food policy expert at BEUC.
This legislative measure now faces consideration by European governments, where it needs to obtain broad support to be enacted.
Considering the divided opinions within various lawmakers and the general population, the future of the proposal remains uncertain.
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