EU member states and lawmakers on Thursday agreed to ban using meat-related terms such as “steak” and “bacon” to market plant-based foods — but spared veggie “burgers” and “sausages.”
The decision is a win for Europe’s livestock farmers, many of whom said that plant-based foods which mimic meat are potentially misleading for consumers, threatening their already troubled sector.
Celine Imart, a cereal farmer and right-wing lawmaker from France who sponsored the plan, hailed the deal as an “undeniable success.”
Photo: APA / AFP
It “recognizes the value of livestock farmers’ work and protects their products, fruits of unique know-how, against a form of unfair competition,” she said.
The ban, which applies also to laboratory-grown or cell-based “meat,” was agreed as part of a broad-ranging package of new measures to protect farmers, after months of wrangling, with critics questioning its usefulness.
Food retailers in Germany, Europe’s largest market for plant-based alternative products, had spoken out against it, along with environmentalists and consumer advocates.
“Arguing that these meaty names create confusion amongst consumers is nonsense,” European Consumer Organization (BEUC) director-general Agustin Reyna said, adding that most people agreed with the terms as long as products were clearly labeled vegetarian or vegan.
Representatives for the EU’s 27 member states and the European Parliament nevertheless decided to move ahead with some exceptions.
“This agreement represents a meaningful step toward fairer and more resilient agricultural markets,” Cyprus Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Maria Panayiotou said.
“Burger” and “sausage” survived the chop, as did “escalope.”
“Veal,” “pork,” “chicken,” “turkey,” “duck” and “lamb” were less lucky — as well as “meat.”
The full list of banned terms also included: beef, poultry, goose, mutton, ovine, goat, drumstick, tenderloin, sirloin, flank, loin, steak, ribs, shoulder, shank, chop, wing, breast, liver, thigh, brisket, ribeye, T-bone and rump.
EU consumption of plant-based alternatives has grown five-fold since 2011, BEUC said.
Concerns over animal welfare and greenhouse gas emissions by livestock farms, as well as health arguments have fueled the boom.
“Fortunately, the conservative word police have failed to ban the ‘veggie burger,’” lawmaker Anna Strolenberg said. “Unfortunately, a number of other words still end up on the blacklist. That’s a shame, Europe should be backing innovative entrepreneurs, not putting new obstacles in their way.”
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