[ad_1]
Francisco Seco / AP
A plant-based burger in a supermarket chain in Brussels.
It’s a meaty issue, but the European Union has taken a stand: veggie burgers are in fact burgers.
European legislators have said that plant-based products that do not contain meat, including veggie burgers, soy steaks and vegan sausages, can continue to be sold as such in restaurants and shops in the 27 countries of the European Union.
Europe’s largest farmers’ association Copa-Cogeca had supported a ban, arguing that labeling vegetarian substitutes with designations reminiscent of meat was misleading to consumers.
On the opposite side of the debate, a group of 13 organizations, including Greenpeace and WWF, urged lawmakers to reject the proposed amendments, arguing that a ban would not only have exposed the EU “to ridicule” but would also have damaged its environmental credibility.
READ MORE:
* Coronavirus: European test for contact tracing apps to work across borders
* Impossible Foods features pork, sausage as it grows beyond beef
* Dairy farmers don’t like it, but plant drinks have long been called ‘milk’
* Vegans choke on an EU proposal banning vegetarian ‘burgers’
They said promoting a shift towards a more plant-based diet is in line with the EU Commission’s ambition to tackle global warming. Losing the ability to use the terms steak or sausage could make those plant-based products darker for consumers.
After the vote, the European Consumers Organization, a group that brings together consumer associations, praised MEPs for their “common sense”.
“Consumers are in no way confused with a soy fillet or chickpea-based sausage, as long as it is clearly labeled vegetarian or vegan,” the group said in a statement.
Francisco Seco / AP
The European Consumers Organization hailed the move as “common sense.”
“Terms like ‘hamburger’ or ‘steak’ in plant-based products simply make it easier for consumers to know how to integrate these products into a meal.”
Along with Greenpeace, the group regretted that legislators accepted more restrictions on the name of alternative products that do not contain dairy.
Terms like ‘almond milk’ and ‘soy yogurt’ are already banned in Europe after the block’s high court ruled in 2017 that purely plant products cannot be traded using terms like milk, butter or cheese, which are reserved for animals. products.
