Yesterday, the EU Parliament’s Agriculture Committee voted on a motion to “strengthen the position of farmers in the food supply chain.”
In the motion, which was adopted by 33 votes to 10 with 5 abstentions, the members of the committee propose, among other things, restricting the labeling practices for plant-based meat alternatives that go beyond the EU Commission’s proposal of 16 July 2025 .
The amendment proposed by the EPP Group calls for common terms such as steak, schnitzel, sausage, burger or hamburger to be reserved exclusively for products containing meat.
NGOs call the move “absurd” and “distortive of competition”
The Good Food Institute Europe describes the restriction on the labeling of meat alternatives as “problematic in several respects” and recommends that political decision-makers in Germany reject it.
Ivo Rzegotta, responsible for the DACH region at the Good Food Institute Europe, explains: “Familiar terms for meat alternatives are practical navigation aids that enable informed purchasing decisions. They help people assess what to expect in terms of taste and texture, as well as how the products are prepared. Arbitrary interventions in established labeling practices, as currently being discussed at the European level, would make it more difficult for consumers to navigate and, moreover, harm domestic companies.
“They also contradict the German government’s goal of promoting alternative protein sources. Therefore, both the German government and German MEPs should reject these proposals and strengthen the consensus found in Germany.”
Sebastian Theissing-Matei, campaign manager and spokesperson for Greenpeace, describes the impending ban as “absurd” and criticizes the initiative as interest politics that only pretends to protect consumers.
Next steps
The adopted motion will be submitted to Parliament for a vote in plenary in the coming weeks. The provisional date for the vote is set for October 6.
