The EU Commission and Parliament have agreed to ban vegetarian processed foods from using meat-like names such as 'bacon' and 'chicken'. Vegetarian sausages and burgers can still retain their names. The decision has drawn criticism from green parliamentarians.
The EU Commission, in agreement with the EU Parliament, has decided to prohibit vegetarian processed foods from being sold under meat-evoking names such as 'steak', 'bacon', and 'chicken'. This means such products can no longer be marketed with these terms.
According to a spokesperson for Cyprus, which currently holds the EU presidency, vegetarian sausages and burgers are permitted to continue being called korv and hamburgers. The decision aims to prevent consumer confusion regarding vegetarian alternatives.
Anna Strolenberg from the EU Parliament's Greens/EFA group has voiced criticism of the ban. 'Fortunately, the conservative language police have failed to ban "vegoburgers". Unfortunately, a number of other words still end up on the blacklist. It's a shame; Europe should support innovative entrepreneurs instead of putting new hurdles in their way,' she writes in a statement.
The agreement represents a step in the EU's regulation of food names to distinguish vegetarian products from traditional meat ones. No further details on the implementation date are provided in the sources.