EU Parliament moves to reserve "steak" and "burger" for real meat

The European Parliament wants to reserve names such as "steak," "chop," "sausage," and "burger" exclusively for products containing real meat, i.e. edible parts of animals. This is reported on website of the European Parliament.

Lawmakers voted in favor of the amendment by 355 votes to 247, according to Reuters.

"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," said Céline Imar, a member of the European People's Party, at the hearing. "Calling it 'meat' is misleading for the consumer," she was quoted as saying by Deutsche Welle.

This is not a final decision yet, negotiations with member states will begin on October 14.

However, even within the EPP itself, there is no unity on this issue, and some MPs opposed the ban.

"We shouldn't take consumers for fools. If a package says 'veggie burger' or 'veggie sausage,' everyone can decide for themselves whether they want to buy it or not. I believe and hope that the discussion will come to nothing," said EPP MEP Peter Liese.

"A beef tomato doesn’t contain any beef... Ladies’ fingers are not made of actual ladies’ fingers. Let’s trust consumers and stop this hot dog populism," said MEP Anna Stürgk.

• The European Union has already defined dairy products such as milk, butter, cream, yogurt, and cheese as "mammary gland-derived products." This means that what might previously have been called oat milk is now called an oat drink.
• At the same time, in 2020, EU lawmakers voted against a proposal to ban the use of meat-related terms for plant-based alternatives.