đź”— Share this article European Parliament Decide to Prohibit Meat-Related Terms for Vegetarian Products In a major decision on Wednesday, European Parliament members voted by a margin of 355-247 to reserve product terms including "steak" and "schnitzel" solely for meat products. What the Decision Signifies If this proposal is implemented, popular plant-based products like veggie burgers, soy steak, and cauliflower schnitzel could have to be renamed across EU countries. Nevertheless, for the restriction to take effect, it must gain support from a majority of the 27 EU countries, something that is uncertain. The Arguments Behind the Measure Proponents contend that consumers require transparent labeling and while meat terms must only describe items from animals. "An escalope and sausages are goods from animal farming: not laboratory art or vegetable sources," stated France's MEP CĂ©line Imart. Critics, led by environmental lawmakers, called the move pointless regulation. "Plant-based burgers, wheat schnitzel and soy sausage don't mislead shoppers, just certain lawmakers," declared Austrian lawmaker Thomas Waitz. Past Attempts and Legal Context The marks another attempt to control these names. The European parliament voted down a comparable ban in 2020. The French government earlier enacted a domestic ban on meat terms for plant-based foods in recent years, but the European court of justice ruled it illegal under EU law in this year. Industry and Public Response Major German retailers including Aldi and Lidl object to the proposal, cautioning that changing established terms would confuse consumers. Advocacy organizations point to surveys indicating that the majority of consumers comprehend product labels as long as products are properly marked as vegan. "Nearly seventy percent of consumers understand these names provided items are clearly marked vegan or vegetarian," noted Irina Popescu, a food policy officer at BEUC. What Comes Following the Vote This legislative measure next faces consideration by European governments, where it needs to obtain majority approval to be enacted. Given the mixed opinions among various lawmakers and the public, the outcome of this initiative is still uncertain.