Shakespeare once mused that a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet. Clearly, he never had to deal with the EU and its endless debates about veggie burgers and sausages.
Say the words “sausage roll” and it turns out to be plant based. It is hardly headline material for most of us. Yet somehow, this simple matter has managed to offend sensibilities across Europe.
The European Parliament has voted to ban the use of traditional meat terms such as burger, sausage, steak, and escalope for plant based products.
Is the European Parliament out of touch with reality?
The decision has stirred up quite a storm among environmentalists and consumer rights groups, who argue the move is unnecessary and rather out of touch with reality.
Those in favour of the ban, including French MEP Céline Imart, say it will make things clearer for shoppers and protect livestock farmers from unfair competition. Critics, however, think it is a little insulting to consumers’ intelligence. After all, most people understand that a veggie burger does not contain any beef, and that a vegan sausage has never been anywhere near a pig.
A 2020 survey by the European Consumer Organisation found that seven out of ten shoppers have no issue with names like “veggie burger”, as long as it is clear on the packaging that the product is plant based.
The proposed ban would outlaw twenty-nine familiar food terms, including beef, chicken, bacon, ribs, and wings, from appearing on vegan or vegetarian products. Detractors argue that the rule will only confuse customers and make it harder for plant based brands to be creative.
EU veggie burgers: What happens next?
The proposal still has to go through negotiations with the European Council, where plenty of disagreement is expected. So, for now, your plant based burger is safe, though who knows what it might be called next year.
For me, this all leaves a strange aftertaste. The flavour of time wasted on nonsense when there are far meatier problems to tackle.
