EU to ban plant-based ‘steaks’ but veggie ‘burgers’ sizzle on

FILE - Beyond Meat products are seen in a refrigerated case inside a grocery store in Mount Prospect, Ill., Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. On Wednesday, May 11, 2022, the plant-based meat company reported lower-than-expected sales in the first quarter as it slashed prices and demand from restaurants fell. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The EU parliament Tuesday passed a ban on marketing plant-based foods as “steak” or “bacon” -- though veggie “burgers” will get to stay on European menus.

The ban -- which still needs a final green light from member states -- marks a win for livestock farmers who argue that plant-based foods mimicking meat risk both misleading consumers and harming their sector.

“This is a victory for our producers, for their expertise and for the clarity owed to consumers,” said Celine Imart, a cereal farmer and right-wing lawmaker from France who sponsored the proposal.

The text restricts use of the generic label “meat” as well as a long list of terms including “veal,” “pork,” “chicken,” “turkey,” “duck,” and “lamb.”

And it clearly defines meat as “edible parts of animals” -- also banning it from being used for lab-grown or cell-based products.

But under a compromise struck in March by EU lawmakers and member states, it stopped short of a broader ban preventing the sale of plant-based foods as “burger” or “sausage.”

Food retailers in Germany, Europe’s largest market for plant-based alternative products, had opposed the ban, along with environmentalists and consumer advocates.

Music legend and outspoken vegetarian Paul McCartney had also weighed in to defend soy steaks and tofu sausages.

EU consumption of plant-based alternatives to meat products has grown fivefold since 2011, according to data from the BEUC consumer group, fuelled by concerns over animal welfare and greenhouse gas emissions by livestock farms, as well as health arguments.

The labelling debate is not settled for good, however: the new rules will initially apply until the end of next year, with further negotiations already under way as part of the next slated review of the EU’s CAP farm subsidy system.