Veggie ‘Burgers’ could be renamed Veggie ‘Discs’ within the EU, following a recent European parliament vote on revisions to food-labelling regulations.
The protected words could include steak, sausage, escalope, burger and hamburger, under a revised regulation that passed with 80% approval, reported the Guardian.
The measures will reportedly be voted on by the full parliament after May’s European elections, before being put to member states and the European commission.
The French socialist MEP Éric Andrieu, who has overseen the legislation said the prohibition was "common sense".
Speaking with the Guardian, Andrieu explained: "The meat lobby is not involved in this."
"It has generated a considerable debate among the political groups and a large majority wanted to clarify things."
Consumers Best Interest
Andrieu said MEPs had voted purely in the best interests of the consumer and it should be seen as an opportunity for vegetarian brands to make their mark.
“We felt that steak should be kept for real steak with meat and come up with a new moniker for all these new products. There is a lot to be done in this front, a lot of creativity will be needed,” he said.
“People need to know what they are eating. So people who want to eat less meat know what they are eating – people know what is on their plate.”
© 2019 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. Click sign-up to subscribe to Checkout.
