A key vote in the European Parliament brings the proposed ban on ‘meaty’ names for plant-based products sold in the EU a step closer to fruition.
The parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development voted in favour of the proposal to ban terms such as “escalope”, “burger”, “steak” and “sausage” from being used as labels for meat alternatives.
The proposal was brought forward by French MEP Céline Imart in July as part of a review of the EU’s Common Market Organisation (CMO) regulation.
“A steak is made of meat – full stop. Using these names only for real meat keeps labels honest, protects farmers, and preserves Europe’s culinary traditions,” she said in support of the proposal.
She took aim at “lab-grown meat” in particular, describing it as not only a “total aberration” but “a threat to traditional farming and real food production”. Furthermore, consumers, she added, “deserve clarity”.
Fears regarding consumer confusion, as well as the desire to protect farmers, have been given as reasons for previous proposals for such bans.
The CMO regulation containing the proposal is likely to come before the full Parliament in October.
A similar ban, targeting 29 terms but leaving out words such as “burger” “sausage”, and “steak”, was proposed by the European Commission in July.
