The EU needs to eat a much schnitzel and sausage as possible.
The US will be having some nice steak. pic.twitter.com/nkdFsl2snm
— floridanow1 (@floridanow1) October 8, 2025
This is inaccurate, they approved banning words like “veggie burger” to limit meat descriptions to products containing actual meat. The goal is to protect farmers from big food. https://t.co/mjfVCnEStW
— Tom Vaillant (@buriedsignals) October 8, 2025
Can a veggie schnitzel legally be called a schnitzel even if it contains no meat? Some have argued such names are confusing consumers. The European Parliament seems to agree.The European Parliament has voted in favor of banning words like “burger” and “sausage” to market their plant-based counterparts.
The decision comes on the back of a proposal from members of the center-right European People’s Party (EPP).
“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 lead negotiator and EPP member of parliament Celine Imart ahead of Wednesday’s vote. “Calling it ‘meat’ is misleading for the consumer,” she added.
But there was disagreement within the EPP, with some members voting against it. “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 member Peter Liese.