đź”— Share this article EU Lawmakers Vote to Prohibit Meat-Related Terms for Vegetarian Foods During a major decision on Wednesday, MEPs voted 355 to 247 to restrict product terms including "burger" and "schnitzel" exclusively for meat products. The Vote Means If the measure becomes law, common plant-based products like plant-based burgers, soy steak, and cauliflower schnitzel could have to be renamed across EU countries. However, for the ban to take effect, it must receive approval from most of the EU's 27 countries, which is far from certain. The Debate Behind the Measure Supporters argue that customers require clear information and while meat terms should only refer to items derived from animals. "A steak and sausages represent goods from animal farming: not synthetic production nor vegetable sources," said France's lawmaker the proposal's author. Critics, including Green MEPs, described the move unnecessary restriction. "Plant-based burgers, seitan schnitzel and soy sausage don't mislead shoppers, only certain lawmakers," declared Austrian Green MEP Thomas Waitz. Past Efforts and Legal Context The marks another attempt to control these terminology. The European parliament rejected a comparable ban in 2020. The French government earlier introduced a domestic ban on meat terms for vegetarian products in 2020, but the European court of justice ruled it invalid under European legislation in this year. Business and Consumer Reaction Major German supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl oppose the measure, cautioning that altering familiar terms would confuse shoppers. Consumer groups cite surveys showing that the majority of shoppers understand product labels when products are properly identified as vegan. "Nearly seventy percent of consumers understand the terminology provided products are explicitly labelled vegan or vegetarian," said Irina Popescu, a food policy officer at BEUC. What Comes Next The proposal next faces review by European governments, and it must secure majority approval to become law. Considering the divided opinions among both lawmakers and the public, the outcome of this initiative is still uncertain.