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Names like “almond milk” or “tofu butter” have already been banned since a ruling by the European Court of Justice, now vegetable sausages and seitan fillets could soon lose their names: the European Parliament decides on a regulation according to which plant-based foods no longer have animal names allowed to use. Descriptive expressions such as “à la”, “type” or “imitation” should also be prohibited.
The initiative is part of a report on the EU’s Common Agricultural Reform (CAP). MEPs decide the position of the EU Parliament, with which they then enter into negotiations with the EU Council and Commission. It is not certain that the decision will be incorporated into the final package of EU agricultural policy reforms.
FDP politicians and Green politicians see no danger of confusion
“We consider the whole debate to be completely superfluous,” said FDP MEP Jan-Christoph Oetjen of the dpa news agency. “We are convinced that citizens can form their own image.” After all, the consumer also knows that you cannot drink milk for washing. He announced that the FDP would vote against the corresponding amendments.
Above all, agricultural associations had massively publicized the ban on meat designations for substitute products. The EU Agricultural Association (Copa-Cogeca) said a precedent had been set with the approval of meat names for plant-based alternatives. He spoke of the harm to farmers and consumers who would be confused by the unclear names.
Farmers Association: Meat must remain meat
The German Farmers Association (DBV) asked for “honest” product names for substitute products. DBV General Secretary Bernhard Krüsken described the fact that meat names were chosen for the plant alternatives in early October as a “strange form of free use.” Krüsken: “Marketing that first discredits the original and then copies the name is unfair.”
It is not about stopping the vegetable market, said the chairman of the European Parliament’s agriculture committee, Norbert Lins. The CDU politician, however, asked for clarity on the names. “We want to protect the designation of ‘pure’ meat products, while the substitute product for meat preparations must carry the ‘vegetable label’.”
European green politician Martin Häusling saw no risk of confusion for consumers on the refrigerated shelves. You don’t think veggie and meat burgers can be confused. Häusling fears that the EU Parliament runs the risk of ending up in a “second cucumber regulation”. Critics often cite the notorious, and now repealed, regulation on the allowed curvature of cucumbers as an example of Brussels gold-plating.
In addition to the bill, which provides for the prohibition of meat designations for plant products, there is also a proposal with a compromise to be voted on. After this the soy schnitzel could still be called schnitzel, but it would have to be clearly marked with the comment “no meat”.
In Germany, meat designations are currently possible for plant products. According to the German Food Book Commission, the prerequisite for this is that the products are similar. This can be given by various criteria, such as intended use, consistency or mouthfeel.
