Veggie burgers and soy schnitzel: EU name ban off the table for now

According to MEPs, the list includes more specific terms such as: Beef or pork, chicken legs or beef rump. These terms will be banned for vegetarian replacement terms in the future, but more general terms such as burger and schnitzel will remain permitted for the time being.

Misleading?

The French MEP Céline Imart had proposed a more far-reaching ban and said she wanted to protect the interests of French cattle farmers. She also believes that names commonly used in supermarkets, such as veggie burgers, are misleading.

Consumer organizations such as BEUC vehemently contradicted it. “The majority of consumers are not confused about these terms,” explained BEUC expert Irina Popescu. She called on EU lawmakers to ensure clear labels instead. Grocers and manufacturers also spoke out against the ban.

Totschnig for ban

The German federal government also rejected a ban. Federal Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer (CSU) stated that for him personally, a schnitzel is always meat. But he followed the line of the consumer organizations: consumers know best what they buy in the supermarket. Austria’s Minister of Agriculture Norbert Totschnig (ÖVP), however, was in favor of the ban.

The discussion about the designations was part of the discussions on a legislative package with which the EU wants to strengthen the position of European farmers in price negotiations with supermarkets. The European Parliament and the Council of 27 states still have to give their final approval to the package.

Thursday’s decision is valid until the end of 2027. By then, a reform of the rules of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is due anyway. In the course of the new edition, the discussion about burgers and schnitzel is likely to arise again.