The EU’s rightward shift looks set to continue later this week as, just days after confirming a significant watering-down of its anti-deforestation legislation, it looks set to vote to ban the use of ‘meaty’ descriptors for plant-based foods, such as ‘sausages’ and ‘burgers’.
‘Trilogue’ negotiations between the European Parliament, European Commission and Council of the EU are due to kick off on Thursday, confirming an EP vote held in October, where MEPs voted (by a 355-247 majority) to ban plant-based products from using a total of 29 so-called ‘meaty’ terms – words such as ‘beef’, ‘chicken’, ‘bacon’, ‘ribs’, and ‘drumsticks’.
The proposed ban, amending the EU’s Common Market Organisation Regulation, follows years of campaigning by the bloc’s powerful agrifood lobby. More recently, it was taken up by French MEP Céline Imart and has been largely backed by the conservative European People’s Party group in the European Parliament.
“A steak is not just a shape,” she told Politico in an interview last month. “People have eaten meat since the Neolithic. These names carry heritage. They belong to farmers,” she added, arguing shoppers could be genuinely confused by plant-based meat substitutes.
Even the European Commission had said the proposed amendment would “enhance consumer transparency” and “preserve the cultural and historical significance of meat terminology”. Fish and dairy terms, such as fillet and milk, are also reportedly in the legislative crosshairs.
However, Imart’s comments fly in the face of a slew of consumer surveys showing shoppers understand what a ‘veggie burger’ is.
Some European lawmakers think a ban would be an overreach. That Politico piece pointedly highlighted that Imart’s own EPP group leader, German conservative Manfred Weber, had publicly dismissed the move as “unnecessary”. The group’s veteran agriculture voice, Herbert Dorfmann, had also voted against it, it noted. Diplomats from several capitals shrugged it off as “silly” or “just stupid”, it reported.
But after a number of false starts to a European ban, some dating back to the 2010s, there’s now a real chance these restrictions could come into force from next year – amid the increasing adoption of ‘anti-woke’ Trumpian politics within the EU.
McCartney urges EU to ‘Let it Be’
The threat of such a move prompted Beatles legend and renowned vegan Paul McCartney to intervene over the weekend, prompting The Guardian to run with the inspired headline ‘Let it Be’.
McCartney, whose late wife Linda was a trailblazer in the plant-based category with her eponymous food brand, has even launched a campaign, backed by UK MPs including Jeremy Corbyn, to fight the ban. YouGov research commissioned by the ex-Beatle showed 92% of Brits had “never mistaken and have never accidentally bought a plant-based sausage or burger believing it contained meat”.
“To stipulate that burgers and sausages are ‘plant-based’, ‘vegetarian’ or ‘vegan’ should be enough for sensible people to understand what they are eating,” McCartney said, arguing the research undermined the claims of widespread consumer confusion. “This also encourages attitudes which are essential to our health and that of the planet.”
Other plant-based brands such as The Vegetarian Butcher, Planted and La Vie have also expressed dismay at the proposals, warning of cost increases being heaped on the still-recovering plant-based category, market fairness concerns and a backsliding on sustainability ambitions.
UK business bureaucracy
And just like the European Deforestation Regulation, it could also apply to UK business – not just for those who trade with the bloc, but as part of the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement currently being negotiated as part of Britain’s post-Brexit ‘reset’ deal.
The Guardian last month reported that the deal would likely tie the UK to some EU laws concerning food labelling, or would at least be subject to negotiation.
Where the plant-based burger ban differs from the EUDR, of course, is that campaigners against anti-deforestation legislation have argued it would add more bureaucracy. So it seems ironic (and hypocritical), that amid a mounting rejection of the red tape the EU has become infamous for (and which largely drove the Brexit debate in the UK), that some politicians are actively campaigning for even more bureaucracy and regulation.
“Europe is the largest consumer market globally for plant-based meat alternatives, said ProVeg CEO Jasmijn de Boo last month.
“This sector creates high-value markets for crops already grown in Europe, from which EU farmers can benefit hugely,” she said, adding that cultivating crops like legumes also supported better soil health and reduces fertiliser needs, lowering production costs.
“Given these economic and environmental benefits, policies should promote rather than restrict the sale of plant-based foods.”
All eyes will now be on Brussels to see if lawmakers step back from the edge, and (finally) let this bonkers law be consigned to the dustbin.
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