Do you remember our brief foray into the “linguistic confusion” of the EU? Last year, a debate suddenly arose about whether terms such as “burger,” “sausage,” and “schnitzel” should be reserved for animal products only. Such a change would have meant that new terms, such as “plant pressling,” would have had to be invented for plant-based alternatives. Picture: Veggie-Burger im vegan/vegetarischen Hotel Korinjak auf Kroatien ©Hotel Korinjak

The meat lobby said that consumers were confused (and could accidentally buy a meat-free product!). Aldi, Lidl, Rügenwalder Mühle, and Burger King disagreed, arguing that consumers were perfectly capable of distinguishing between meat and plant-based products.

Update on the veggie burgers from Brussels

The all-clear has now been given, at least partially: the veggie burger can stay. Negotiators from EU member states and the European Parliament agreed that terms such as “veggie burger” and “tofu sausage” can remain.

However, the debate over names is not completely off the table. In the future, terms that directly refer to animal species or cuts of meat will have to be eliminated. “Vegan bacon,” “veggie chicken,” and “tofu ribs” may soon need new names.

This compromise is considered an important intermediate step. A complete ban would have been costly for the plant-based alternatives industry. According to DPA, Germany alone now produces over 126,000 tons of meat alternatives each year.