European Union lawmakers this week voted in favour of a proposal to restrict meat-related terms such as "burger" and "sausage" to products that contain actual meat, in order to protect the interests of livestock farmers. The decision has sparked debate across the European Parliament, notably among French MEPs.
Put to the European Parliament on Wednesday as part of a package of broader farming reforms, the measure passed with a comfortable majority: 355 in favour and 247 against.
Many of Europe's livestock farmers see plant-based foods that mimic meat products as potentially misleading for consumers, and a threat to their already troubled sector.
France has already issued its own labelling restrictions on vegetarian products, though the EU's Court of Justice subsequently overturned them.
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Céline Imart, a French MEP from the conservative Republicans party and member of the European People’s Party, proposed the EU-wide ban. She argued that using meat-related terms for plant-based products distorts reality.
"We are witnessing an offensive from plant-based substitutes, and also from companies – especially American food tech firms – investing millions in lab-grown meat," Imart told RFI.
"I'm sorry, but a steak is a steak. It's meat. When I see a cat, I call it a cat. When I see a dog, I call it a dog. I don't say it’s a cat-dog. No! It’s the same thing."
'Distraction'
However, not all legislators agreed. Pascal Canfin, a centrist French MEP from the Renew Europe group, dismissed the measure as a distraction from more serious challenges facing European agriculture.
"People who want to eat meat know what meat is. And those who don't want to eat meat also know that a vegetarian burger is not meat," he said.
"Let's not treat consumers and Europeans like idiots. The real paradox is that many of those who voted in favour of this today also support the EU-Mercosur deal – when it’s actually Brazilian imports that pose the real threat to European livestock farming."
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French Green MEP Marie Toussaint condemned the vote as a stunt by the political right. "Given the state of agriculture today, it’s clear that this is just a right-wing tactic to distract from the real issues," she said.
Green Party MEPs also pointed to what they describe as undue influence from the meat industry.
The proposal now needs the backing of the bloc's 27 member states, as well as the European Commission, before it can become law.
The EU already bans the use of dairy terms such as "milk" or "cheese" to refer to plant-based alternatives.
