EP proposes a ban on naming meatless products as ‘burger’ or ‘steak’
Strasbourg – The European Parliament today adopted a report with 355 votes in favor, 247 against, and 30 abstentions, calling for a ban on the use of the words “burger,” “steak,” or “sausage” to name plant-based food products that do not contain meat.
The report, prepared by French MEP Céline Imard, calls for the European Commission to prepare regulations that clearly label vegetarian and all other products that serve as meat substitutes.
The document proposes a ban on the use of seven terms – “steak,” “schnitzel,” “sausage,” “burger,” “hamburger,” “egg yolk,” and “egg white” – for naming food products that do not contain meat or are not of animal origin.
According to Imard, the use of these terms for products that do not contain meat or represent a substitute for it is “too confusing for consumers.”
– Everyone has the right to eat alternative proteins, but calling them meat misleads consumers. They are not sausages and they are not steaks. It’s that simple, said Imard.
The French MEP, who is a farmer by profession, stated that she initiated this proposal at the request of the agricultural sector and the meat industry.
In response to Imard’s proposal, leading German producer of vegetarian and vegan products “Rügenwalder Mühle” warned that such a potential ban would affect at least 60 products and their repackaging would cost “millions of euros.”
Moreover, this is not the first initiative of this kind. In 2020, a proposal appeared in the European Parliament to ban the use of the terms “yogurt,” “milk,” or “cream” for naming products that are not of animal origin, but it did not receive support from the majority of MEPs at that time. (October 8, 2025)
