EU Parliament Set to Revisit Plant-Based “Burger” Ban for Third Time in Six Years

From vegconomist.com

The dispute over whether plant-based products can be labelled with terms such as “burger” and “sausage” has returned to the European Parliament, after members tabled amendments to the ongoing full revision of the Common Market Organisation (CMO) regulation over the summer break.

The amendments, published by the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) on 23 July, come from members of the EPP, Patriots for Europe and ECR groups, and form part of the ongoing full revision of the Common Market Organisation (CMO) regulation. If adopted, they would expand the restrictions beyond the 31 animal-associated terms that Parliament approved in June, when format-based names such as “burger”, “sausage” and “nugget” were left permitted.

The proposals reopen a dispute over plant-based product naming that has now returned to the EU agenda three times in six years. The Agriculture Committee is due to debate the amendments on 2 September, followed by technical meetings and a committee vote scheduled for December. The plenary vote will take place next year.

© Meatless Farm

A debate at odds with the Protein Action Plan

Both the European Alliance for Plant-based Foods (EAPF) and the No Confusion Coalition, which represents more than 600 companies, retailers, investors, and consumer and environmental organisations across 22 EU countries and is coordinated by WePlanet and the European Vegetarian Union, have rejected the amendments.

The EAPF argues that the amendments conflict with the European Commission’s EU Protein Action Plan, published on 7 July, which sets out a framework for scaling up domestic plant protein production and reducing the bloc’s reliance on imported feed. The Commission has said it wants to raise the share of EU-grown protein used in animal feed from around 26% to 35% within the next decade.

“These proposals harm the EU’s Protein Action Plan”

“These proposals harm the EU’s Protein Action Plan, which aims to reduce dependency on feed imports by promoting plant-based value chains. Imposing unnecessary restrictions and bureaucracy on food manufacturers and limiting consumer choice is counterproductive for a thriving plant-based sector,” the alliance stated.

Thomas Schobesberger, Secretary General of the Brussels-based EAPF, questioned the timing of the amendments against the backdrop of drought and heatwaves affecting European agriculture.

“These proposals look more like a grocery list for the meat lobby’s summer BBQ than a legislative document. It is simply unbelievable how some MEPs are making this useless debate a political priority when European farmers are struggling, due to an historic drought and heatwave,” he said.

Repeated reopening of settled agreements

The EAPF also contends that reintroducing the naming question after the June vote weakens the Parliament’s standing as a co-legislator.

“This also undermines Parliament’s authority. If Europe’s only directly elected institution repeatedly reopens agreements until the result favours particular interests of the meat lobby, it cannot expect to be taken seriously. This weakens its position as a co-legislator on all files and harms the European idea,” Schobesberger said.

© V-Label

Coalition questions the timing

The No Confusion Coalition has raised similar objections, questioning why the naming debate has resurfaced during a difficult summer for European agriculture. “This is the third time in six years, and the second time during the current parliamentary term, that the European Parliament will vote on banning the words ‘burger’ and ‘sausage’ for plant-based products.

“MEP’s have been hard a work during the summer while Europeans were struggling with wildfires, droughts and rising costs of living, to once again bring back this non-sense topic,” said Rafael Pinto of the European Vegetarian Union, spokesperson for the coalition.

The naming dispute has run alongside the CMO revision since 2020, when the EAPF first coordinated opposition to the so-called “veggie burger ban”. The alliance’s position is that existing EU legislation already provides sufficient protection for meat and dairy product names, and that plant-based producers require market stability rather than further labelling constraints.

“As an increasing number of European farmers are diversifying into plant protein production, they need markets, investment and stability, not a fight over words,” the alliance stated.

https://vegconomist.com/politics-law/eu-parliament-set-revisit-plant-based-burger-ban-third-time-six-years/ 

Josh Tetrick of Eat Just: “When You Don’t Burn Money, You Have More Power to Do Good”

From vegconomist.com

At Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, vegconomist caught up with Josh Tetrick, CEO and co-founder of Eat Just, on the sidelines of a busy show floor. With Just Egg now in over 500 REWE stores across Germany, and a second retail launch underway with Edeka, Tetrick spoke candidly about what the German market has taught him, how his company has defied the industry’s difficult moment, and why the path to transforming the food system runs through financial discipline as much as innovation.

Nils:  You launched Just Egg in Germany in January with REWE. How has it gone?

Josh:  We launched in January with REWE, and it sold well enough that they’ve expanded the number of regions we’re in. We’re now north of 500 stores with them. A couple of weeks ago we also launched with Edeka. I’ve been following the progress of our launch through the German vegan Reddit boards.I translate them and read everything people like and don’t like. They seem to like the product. They seem not to like the price.

Nils:  That sounds very German.

Josh:  I get it. Germans are spoiled for good quality. We’re producing out of our manufacturing facility in Lüneburg, Germany. We have 90 people there, a full line. We’ve invested a lot of capital getting that line set up.

“If someone is putting a perishable item in their suitcase when they travel to the US, that is a good sign the market wants it.”

Nils:  How is consumer response in Germany different from the US?

Josh:  Much better. I’m not sure if it’s because Just Egg is just more established in the US and people are more aware of it, or if there’s simply more appetite for what we’re doing in Germany. Just Egg is currently the highest-selling plant-based protein item in the United States in terms of units per store per week. But in Germany, there’s a very active conversation on the Reddit boards about Just Egg specifically. We’re seeing things like, “Now I don’t have to pack this in my suitcase when I visit the US.” If someone is putting a perishable item in their suitcase, that is a good sign the market wants it. I don’t need any McKinsey consultant to tell me anything. If that’s happening, that’s all I need to know.

© Just Egg

Nils:  Why did you choose this particular partnership structure for the European launch?

Josh:  We partnered with the Vegan Food Group, which is backed by Ahimsa, one of the largest investors in the plant-based protein space and also one of our larger investors. The manufacturing facility in Lünerburg is owned by Ahimsa, and we wanted to launch in a facility where we have more autonomy and agency. The retail partnership flows naturally from that larger relationship.

Messaging for Germany: Vegan over Plant-Based

Nils:  You’re relaunching your website in Germany at ju.st/de. Did you change the positioning and messaging for the German market?

Josh:  Yes. We’re definitely using the word “vegan” more. In the US, I would say “made from plants” or “plant-based.” In Germany, I’m much more explicit: vegan. It’s a word that doesn’t seem nearly as polarizing in Germany as it can be in the United States. And there’s also much more emphasis on impact, on animals and on the environment. In the US, I’d lead with health. In Germany, it’s animals first, then environment, then health.

Defying the Industry Downturn

Nils:  There’s been a lot happening in the alt-protein market: companies filing for bankruptcy, headwinds across the board. What gave you conviction to keep going?

Josh:  At least as it relates to us, the last three months have been our highest-ever revenue months in the history of the company. Just Egg is selling more than it ever has. Just Meat is now launching. Our margins are higher. That’s not speaking to the broader industry situation, but I think the reality is: if we can make things that are really tasty and really different, things that connect with people, we’ll win. And if we’re not making things that taste good enough and aren’t generating profit, it’s probably going to mean we lose.

                                                                                                              © Josh Tetrick

Nils:  What do you do differently from other players?

Josh:  A few things. First: if you’re going to launch something, make it meaningfully different from anything else on the shelf. Different enough that even if you didn’t put a single dollar into marketing, people would still buy it. Second, and this is probably equally important, something someone close to me told me: when you don’t burn money, you have more power to do good. We’ve learned how not to burn money. That was a hard lesson for me. It means an intense focus on every detail: warehousing, our entire bill of materials, whether we’re spending $100 on a software subscription we don’t actually need. You look at every single penny, maximize efficiency at every turn, and then wake up the next day and do it again.

“When you don’t burn money, you have more power to do good. We’ve learned how not to burn money.”

Josh:  And eventually you look at the bank account on the first of the month and then on the last day of the month, and it actually has more money at the end. That feels really good. You want to keep doing that, because there’s a lot of good that flows from that kind of discipline.

The Portfolio: Eggs, Meat, and the Long Game on Cultivated

Nils:  You now have Just Egg, Just Meat, and Good Meat. How does it all fit together?

Josh:  Really, 95% of the focus is Just Egg and Just Meat. Five percent is long-term Good Meat, very long-term. Right now we’re trying to figure out how to build a cultivated meat facility for significantly less cost than it costs to build one today. We’re not close to solving that, so there’s a lot of work ahead. But the strategy is: let the plant-based side drive us, generate cash, and fuel growth in Europe. And then, long-term, we still want to do cultivated.

© Eat Just

Nils:  If Just Egg, Just Meat, and ultimately Good Meat all hit their full potential. What does the food system look like?

Josh:  Full potential would be: on any given day, let’s say Expo West ten, twenty, thirty years from now, the majority of eggs and chicken produced in the world on that day don’t require harming an animal. That’s full potential. Whether it’s us alone (which is very unlikely) or any number of companies collectively making that happen. There are already countries in the world, Norway and Sweden among them, where the majority of cars sold on a given day are electric. Twenty years ago, no one would have predicted that.

The Assumption That’s Completely Wrong

Nils:  What’s an assumption people have right now that you think is completely wrong?

Josh:  Two things. First: a lot of people have tried plant-based products and had a bad experience with one, and then they assume that’s what all plant-based products taste like. It’s like driving one of the first electric cars and concluding that’s what electric vehicles are. Forgetting that a Tesla Model S or a Rivian doesn’t drive anything like that first EV. That assumption is wrong.

Josh:  Second: I think people are genuinely confused about health. One of the most important things we can do for our health is radically reduce saturated fat intake. There are plenty of plant-based products and non-plant-based products that are packed with saturated fat, both will increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. People need to be able to discern which plant-based products are actually healthy, not based on the label, but based on a pretty basic understanding of nutrition that unfortunately gets distorted in the media ecosystem we live in.

Nils:  Do you think consumers are confused?

Josh:  Definitely. I’m thinking of Dan Buettner, the Blue Zones researcher. Someone offered him decent money to write a weekly nutrition column, and he turned it down. He said he’d just write the same article every week: eat lots of plants like kale, broccoli, blueberries. Keep saturated fat under 15%. Get enough protein. If you eat chicken, better to be plant-based than animal-based. That’s it. The same article every week. And because you can’t build an audience writing the same thing repeatedly, people generate new content, new takes, and that creates confusion. Sometimes the truth is extremely boring. But it’s a truthful one.

What’s Next for Europe

Nils:  Last question: where next in Europe after Germany?

Josh:  Germany is the foundation. From Germany we’re going to the UK, then the Netherlands, then the Nordic countries. 

https://vegconomist.com/interviews/josh-tetrick-when-you-dont-burn-money-you-have-more-power-to-do-good/ 

Planning a trip to Europe? This new initiative is making it easier for vegan travellers

From veganfoodandliving.com

A new partnership spanning over 80 hostels is making vegan travel easy across Europe by celebrating local, naturally plant-based continental flavours

Vegan travel across Europe is about to get a major upgrade as more than 80 hostels launch a continent-wide push to expand their plant-based menus.

Europe’s Famous Hostels, the leading association in the budget accommodation sector, is aiming to drastically reduce its food-related greenhouse gas emissions. It’s working in partnership with non-profit organisation Scope 3 Action, which specialises in helping businesses reduce their scope 3 (indirect) emissions through protein diversification.

The initiative will see more than 80 hostels across 23 countries overhaul their food offerings, integrating sustainable, plant-rich choices into breakfasts, bar snacks, and shared dinners.

For years, plant-based backpackers have had to navigate hit-and-miss catering, but this collaboration aims to make sustainable dining a standard part of the European hostel experience.

Photo © BullRun/Adobe Stock

Why protein diversification matters for vegan travel

Food production is a massive driver of climate change, and shifting toward plant-rich diets is widely recognised by bodies such as the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation as vital in meeting climate goals. Because plant proteins require significantly less land and water than animal products, updating menus is the most cost-effective way for the travel industry to shrink its carbon footprint.

Crucially, for initiatives like this to work, the transition to more plant-based proteins needs to feel natural, particularly for non-vegan guests who may feel ‘forced’ into eating sub-par meat-free meals. But Marian Milec, Programme Manager at Scope Three Action, is confident in the initiative’s focus on increasing the overall appeal and availability of vegan options without stripping away guest choice.

“Sustainable food is often seen as a compromise,” she says. “In reality, some of the most successful hospitality businesses are showing that serving more plant-rich meals can reduce emissions, expand choice and enhance the guest experience.

“This partnership will help more hostels across Europe unlock that opportunity,” she concludes.

Experiencing cultural plant-based foods in Europe

The rollout spans 60 locations, from Aarhus to Zwolle, giving vegan travellers unprecedented peace of mind when booking accommodation in cities across Europe. Rather than relying on ultra-processed substitutes, the initiative emphasises dishes that are already inherently plant-based and deeply woven into regional European cuisines.

In a joint statement, Zoe Bowthorpe and Valentina Rodoni, co-founders of Europe’s Famous Hostels’ ESG Committee, explained: “Hostels have always been innovators and change-makers, and food is the next frontier…

“Some of the best dishes in Europe are already plant-based, rooted in local culture and national flavours. We just need to start celebrating them.”

By shifting the focus to cultural, plant-rich dining, the initiative ensures that reducing travel emissions doesn’t mean compromising on the authentic holiday food experience.

https://www.veganfoodandliving.com/news/vegan-travel-europe-hostels/ 

6 Cities Where Street Food Vendors Make Vegetarian and Vegan Eating Easy for Every Traveller

From kansascity.com

By Lauren Schuster 

Travelers looking to skip meat without skipping the local food scene have more options than ever. These six cities stand out for street food vendors who make vegetarian and vegan eating easy, affordable and genuinely delicious. 

Which Street Food City is Best for Vegetarians? 

Mumbai is widely considered the top street food destination for vegetarians, because most of the city’s iconic street dishes are meat-free by default. You don’t have to ask for substitutions or hunt down specialty stalls — the default menu works.

According to a National Family Health Survey, approximately 18% of people in Mumbai reported being vegetarian, which has shaped a street food culture built around plants, legumes and dairy. Look for pav bhaji, vada pav, pani puri and bhel puri at stalls across the city. 

India as a whole has the highest percentage of vegetarians in the world at 29.5%, according to World Population Review data, which helps explain why vegetarian street food is so deeply embedded in Mumbai’s daily life rather than treated as a niche offering.

How Do You Find Vegan Street Food in Bangkok? 

Bangkok makes plant-based eating straightforward: look for stalls marked “jay” (เจ), which means vegan. Vendors typically display a yellow diamond icon with a red border and the symbol written inside. 

The jay system is rooted in Buddhist dietary practice and is widely recognized by Thai vendors, so spotting the symbol on a cart or menu is a reliable signal. Pad thai with tofu (ordered without fish sauce, and without egg if you’re vegan), papaya salad without fish sauce, grilled corn brushed with coconut milk and mango sticky rice are all common finds.

For travellers who don’t read Thai, the visual marker is the easiest way to navigate a busy night market without a translation app. 

Is Mexico City Good for Vegan Street Food? 

Yes — Mexico City has built one of the largest vegan street food and restaurant scenes in Latin America, with over 3,000 establishments offering vegan options. 

Mexico has the second-highest percentage of vegetarians in the world at 19%, behind only India, and is tied with India for the highest percentage of vegans at 9%, according to World Population Review. That demand has pushed street vendors well beyond the standard taco. 

Look for tlacoyos stuffed with beans and topped with nopales and salsa, plus sopes and huaraches layered with black beans, onion, cilantro and avocado. These dishes are traditionally plant-based, not modern substitutions.

What Vegetarian Street Food Can You Eat in Ho Chi Minh City? 

Ho Chi Minh City offers an unusually wide range of vegan street food thanks to the influence of Vietnamese Buddhist cuisine, often called ẩm thực chay or simply chay.

Even Vietnamese diners who don’t follow chay restrictions year-round commonly eat plant-based for religious or health reasons several days each month, which keeps demand for meat-free street food consistent and prices low. 

Look for mock-meat dishes built around tofu and seitan — including bánh mì chay made with tofu — along with fresh spring rolls and phở chay, typically made with mushrooms in place of beef or chicken.

What is the Best European City for Vegan Street Food? 

London ranked number one out of every city in the world in the 2025 Vegan City Index, published by HappyCow at the beginning of 2026. HappyCow is the world’s leading platform for vegan dining. London’s strength is range. 

The city’s popular street food markets — Borough Market, Brick Lane and Maltby Street — are packed with plant-based options drawing from cuisines around the world. Look for stalls selling falafel, dosas, bao and tacos, often side by side.

Berlin came in third in the same 2025 Vegan City Index. The city’s döner culture has well-established meat alternatives, including vegan seitan and falafel, and Markthalle Neun — a historic market hall originally opened in 1891 — offers a rotating mix of global cuisine with strong plant-based representation.

https://www.kansascity.com/living/food-drink/article316024283.html

Beyond Substitution, Everyday Products Drive 5% Growth of Europe’s Plant-Based Market

From greenqueen.com.hk

By Anay Mridul

Europe’s plant-based food market grew by 5% from 2024-25, reaching €16.3B in value as several products outpaced animal proteins – but it still makes up a fraction of the region’s food and drink sales.

Demand for plant-based food remained strong in Europe in 2025, driven by interest in everyday formats rather than just meat mimics.

Across the six largest markets in the region – the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, and the Netherlands – the plant-based category reached €16.3b in value in 2025, up 5.1% from the year before, according to market research firm Circana.

Despite the hike, this sector accounts for just 2.4% of overall food and drink sales in Europe, indicating a gap between consumer interest and true market scale and significant headroom for growth.

“Plant-based food and drinks have reached a pivotal moment,” Ananda Roy, Circana’s senior VP of thought leadership and consumer goods advisor for Europe, said during a keynote address at the Plant FWD conference in Amsterdam (April 9).

“The foundations for growth are firmly in place, but the next phase will not be driven by hype or novelty. It will be driven by how effectively the industry delivers products that fit into everyday consumer behaviour,” he added.

                                                                                                         Courtesy: Omami

Flexitarians lead demand as GLP-1 drugs shift consumer habits

The momentum of the plant-based market is increasingly driven by products for everyday consumption rather than niche alternatives, according to Circana.

Nuts and seeds alone make up 45% of all value sales in the category, followed by dairy alternatives (21%) and ready meals (15%) – meat and seafood analogues represent just 4% of the market in these six countries.

That shift reflects how consumers are changing their behaviour to move away from substitution and towards integration into their daily diets. Circana noted that the demand is being driven by everyday shoppers, but not just historical plant-based consumers.

Flexitarians are the most important lever of growth. Only around 11% of Europeans follow a vegan or vegetarian diet, but the number of people who identify as flexitarian grew from 21% in 2022 to 31% in 2024.

The next phase of growth will be driven by consumers’ shifting expectations from their food, with health, nutrition and affordability among their top priorities.

People are looking for more than just a vegan burger now. They want meat alternatives that deliver benefits across protein consumption, energy, and gut health. At the same time, the boom in GLP-1 drugs is pushing people to eat smaller, more nutrient-dense meals.

Take the UK, for example: more than 1.5 million Brits now use a weight-loss medication, a share that nearly doubled between 2024 and 2025. And savvy food brands are already responding with formats that put protein and fibre at the centre.

Nielsen analysis shows that chilled plant-based food volume demand rose by just under 1% across UK supermarkets in 2025, rising to 1.7% in the final quarter. Tesco, the country’s largest retailer, ascribed the revival of this market to the heightening demand for “veg-led foods” rich in protein and fibre.

                                                                                                                      Courtesy: Tesco

Plant-based brands should prioritise affordability and functionality

Circana’s report reinforces Germany’s leadership in Europe’s plant-based market, where value sales rose by 7.2% and volumes by 4.2%. Spain saw value growth accelerate by 7.5% as well.

However, some countries didn’t perform as strongly. The UK, despite being the second-largest market at €4.5B, continued to stagnate, with volumes down 0.7% last year. It was one of the only countries in Europe to experience a volume decline in 2024, too.

This divergence outlines the importance of execution, pricing and relevance in driving category performance, according to Circana. In fact, closing the price gap between plant-based and animal proteins remains a top barrier.

Despite that chasm, vegan products are outperforming their animal-based counterparts in volume growth across key segments such as dairy and ready meals. Greater affordability for plant-based proteins will only unlock broader adoption.

Circana suggests the industry is at a critical inflection point, where future growth will depend on how well brands and retailers respond to changing consumer needs.

“With flexitarian consumers now leading demand, and growth becoming more uneven across markets, the plant-based category is entering a new, more competitive phase,” it said. “For retailers and manufacturers, the challenge is no longer about building awareness, but about turning interest into habit.”

It pinpointed several priorities for Europe’s plant-based food industry, including a focus on taste-led innovation to drive repeat purchases and better price competitiveness to expand mainstream adoption. Brands should also deliver credible nutritional and functional benefits, integrate ‘plant-based’ into core categories rather than isolate it, and expand beyond substitutes into broader alternatives that stand on their own.

“We are seeing a clear shift away from niche, imitation-led innovation towards more natural, functional and accessible products,” said Roy. “The winners will be those who can close the gap between taste, nutrition and price, and integrate plant-based seamlessly into everyday consumption occasions.”

https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/europe-plant-based-market-sales-growth-2025-circana/

EU's meaty label ban: What's at steak for Belgium's vegan butchers?

From brusselstimes.com

EU lawmakers agreed last month to ban meaty names, such as bacon and steak, for plant-based alternatives. How are Belgium's self-proclaimed 'vegan butchers' faring in the face of the controversial new legislation?

The EU Council reached a provisional agreement on 5 March to ban 31 'meaty' labels from plant-based products. These include drumstick, steak, ribs, liver, bacon, chicken and beef. Veggie burgers and sausages were also initially on the chopping block, but in the end, they were spared and will therefore remain on the menu. 

The central reasons cited for the controversial decision were to protect farmers "against unfair competition" and avoid consumer confusion, according to French MEP Céline Imart of the centre-right EPP group. Imart spearheaded the clampdown on plant-based products and described the March agreement as an "undeniable success for our farmers", Euronews reported.

"By enshrining the use of terms 'steak' and 'liver' for our farmers' products and by committing to extend the list during the next negotiations, Parliament has taken a decisive step forward," she added.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also backed the ban, saying, "A sausage is a sausage. Sausage is not vegan."

But the decision has sparked heated debate across the board and divided opinion.

David Flochel, the chief executive of Quorn Food, said, "In 40 years, not once has a customer told us they bought a Quorn product believing it to be meat."

The familiar terminology makes it "easy for those who want to integrate these options in their diets, and the new rules will increase confusion and are simply not necessary," said Agustín Reyna, director general of The European Consumer Organisation.

"Europe should be backing innovative entrepreneurs, not putting new obstacles in their way," added Dutch Green MEP Anna Strolenberg.

Two such innovative entrepreneurs are Federica Boddi and her husband and business partner Benoit Van den Broeck.

                                                                                   Benoit Van den Broeck and Federica Boddi. Credit: Pumpkin Agency

Boddi, 34, who hails from Genoa in Italy, previously worked in the EU bubble and became vegan 13 years ago. She met Van den Broeck, 47, from Bruges, on the vegan scene in Brussels. He had been volunteering as an animal rights activist, filming abused animals in Belgian slaughterhouses and exposing scandals.

In April 2019, the pair decided to pour their savings into becoming Belgium's first 'vegan butchers' – the only business of its kind in the country.

Van den Broeck had no prior culinary training, but with a great deal of research and testing, he developed his own recipes, which immediately became a hit. After a few months, they even won the Belgian Vegan Awards as the best newcomer, up against the well-established Liu Lin (now closed) and Plant A Pizza.

Corporate catering was a game-changer for the small business, and they got through Covid-19 unscathed thanks to their home delivery system, soldiering on from 05:00 until 23:00 every day. "Benoit was doing the deliveries. I remember that sometimes in one afternoon he had to deliver to 35 addresses," Boddi tells The Brussels Times.

Thanks to their web shop, they now deliver all over Belgium, and their products can be found on the shelves of Delhaize, Carrefour, and most Intermarché shops in Brussels.

But what differentiates them from supermarket brands is the ingredients and nutritional value. "We make [our products] with really natural and as raw as possible ingredients," Boddi says.

In supermarkets, she says, plant-based products contain various oils, E-numbers, and artificial colourings and flavourings.

"We work with plain ingredients, like beans, chickpeas, gluten, cashew nuts and onions, and we use beetroot powder and tomato paste for the colour. So it's really simple ingredients, which are then just assembled and seasoned with spices."

                                                                                                           Credit: Pumpkin Agency

Texture is also a priority: "The problem with a lot of the healthy alternatives on the market right now is that you can buy a veggie burger that is vegetables and potatoes, but when you eat it, it's like a croquette. It's mushy, it doesn't have any protein, and it crumbles."

Their bestsellers include the Belgian classic Américain sandwich spread, gyros, chorizo and drumsticks, which use rice paper to create a chicken skin effect. "I'm very proud of all the products we have right now," Boddi says.

'They wouldn't eat vegan when offered it for free'

Although non-vegans have said the products are almost unrecognisable from the real meat version, the negative perceptions of plant-based products persist.

Belgian healthy food chain EXKi, for example, decided to stock the vegan butchers' Américain baguettes at its Porte de Namur branch, but the meat-free option flopped. "They loved the vegan baguettes – but they sold it so wrong, even the person in charge admitted it was a complete failure."

Overnight, all the meat baguettes were replaced with 'Vegan Américain', which no one wanted. "They wouldn't even eat the vegan one when offered it for free."

Boddi believes that, had the label featured 'plant-based' instead, or listed the ingredients, customers might have been more open to the idea.

"I think the word 'vegan' can be very repulsive because I think it creates some negative emotions in some people."

The couple have even wondered about changing the name of their brand, The Vegan Butcher's Choice, but have kept it because it's recognisable and gets people talking.

"It's a bit of an oxymoron. People get angry and say, 'How can you be vegan and a butcher?' I tell them it's a joke, but that we do butcher beans. And they get even angrier," she laughs.

'Ridiculous' and 'insulting' EU ban

Boddi finds the EU ban on meaty labels equally laughable. She cannot accept that anyone in favour of the legislation believes consumers are confused.

"It's just so ridiculous. I find it quite insulting. Do you really think people are that dumb? By law, you have to write that it's vegan or plant-based – you can see it's not meat and it's written there."

"I also think, is it that important? There are such big issues that we need to address in Europe, in terms of food and farming. Do we really have to waste all this time and energy to discuss terminology?"

The entrepreneur says it's a sign that powerful meat lobbies are losing momentum, and the meat industry is feeling threatened by the growing shift in people switching to plant-based diets.

She agrees that farmers must be protected, but shutting down vegan companies is not the way to do it.

https://www.brusselstimes.com/2063197/eus-meaty-label-ban-whats-at-steak-for-belgiums-vegan-butchers

The 31 words that can no longer be used on Vegan products, according to the EU: “Burgers” & “Sausages” saved

From en.protothema.gr

The vegan...“gyro” and the labelling of many other products led the EU to ban companies from using certain words on plant-based products

Takeawaysby Protothema AI

• The European Union has banned 31 words on vegan product packaging, including terms like "steak" and "liver".
• The EU aims to support farmers by protecting names associated with meat products.
• Terms like "burger" and "sausage" will remain allowed for vegetarian and vegan foods.
• A three-year transitional period is granted for producers to adapt to the new labelling rules.
• The agreement still requires formal approval and a final vote in the European Parliament.

The European Union has banned 31 words on vegan product packaging, aiming—according to the EU—to support farmers who now hold protected names such as “steak” and “liver,” among others.

EU lawmakers agreed to prohibit the use of names associated with meat, such as “steak” and “bacon,” for vegetarian and vegan foods, but terms like “burgers” and “sausages” will remain allowed. On March 5, the EU reached a compromise regarding rules for food labelling, although critics argue that the legislation introduces unnecessary complexity.

The 31 Words Banned for Vegan Products

The EU has agreed to prohibit vegetarian and vegan foods from using the following terms:

beef, veal, pork, poultry, chicken, turkey, duck, goose, lamb, sheep, mutton, goat, chicken drumstick, fillet (veal), sirloin, flank, pork fillet, steak, ribs, shoulder, shank, rib chop, wing, breast, liver, thigh, brisket, ribeye, T-bone, knuckle, and bacon.

Despite being among the most popular, the EU decision allows companies to continue using terms like “burger” (or “veggie burger”) and “sausage” on their labels. This means products advertised as “vegetarian burgers” or “vegan sausages” will still appear in supermarkets.

The restrictions also extend to “cultivated meat” (meat produced from animal cells), even though it is not yet commercially available.

The EU has agreed to a three-year transitional period, allowing producers to sell existing stock and adapt to the new rules.

However, the agreement still requires formal approval, followed by a final vote in the European Parliament plenary—meaning last-minute changes are still possible.

Why Certain Words Are Banned on Vegan Products

The European Council and European Parliament reached a provisional agreement aimed at giving farmers a “stronger negotiating position” in the food supply chain. In addition to making written contracts between farmers and buyers a general requirement, the amendment to the common organization of agricultural markets also strengthens protection of terms referring to meat.

French MEP Céline Hervieux-Imbert led the push to regulate plant-based labelling, calling the agreement an “undeniable success for our farmers.” “By securing the use of terms like ‘steak’ and ‘liver’ for our farmers’ products and committing to expand the list in future negotiations, the Parliament has taken a decisive step forward,” she added. Hervieux-Imbert argued that stricter rules on these terms will help preserve agricultural and culinary heritage.

Cypriot Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou, holding the rotating EU presidency, said: “By improving support for farmers and strengthening the role of producer organizations, we provide farmers with additional tools to secure a more predictable and sustainable future.”

Longstanding Debate Over Plant-Based Food Labels

The question of how plant-based foods can be labelled has been debated across the EU for years. In 2020, the European Parliament rejected an earlier proposal, known as “Amendment 165,” which sought to ban terms like “burger,” “sausage,” and “steak” for plant-based foods.

At that time, supporters argued that familiar names helped consumers understand how the products could be used in cooking.

Similar rules already apply to dairy substitutes in the EU, where plant-based products cannot be labelled “milk,” “cheese,” or “yogurt,” with limited exceptions such as coconut milk or peanut butter.

Proponents of the new restrictions argue they help protect livestock farmers and prevent unfair competition. Critics say the rules are unnecessary and may cause confusion rather than prevent it.

Criticism of the EU Decision: “Consumers Will Be Confused”

Dutch Green MEP Anna Strolenberg said she was relieved that the proposed ban on terms like “veggie burger” did not pass but criticized the inclusion of other words on the prohibited list.

Consumer groups have also voiced concerns. Augustin Reyna, Director General of the European Consumer Organization (BEUC), said the restrictions could make it harder for consumers trying to include more plant-based foods in their diets.

Supporters of plant-based labelling argue that there is little evidence that consumers struggle to distinguish meat from vegan products. According to a 2025 survey by Radar, 96% of respondents said they could clearly tell the difference between vegan sausages and meat sausages, while 75% reported no confusion about plant-based labelling.

Supporters argue that familiar food terms simply help consumers understand how products can be cooked or used—for example, whether something is shaped like a burger or intended for a sandwich.

https://en.protothema.gr/2026/03/17/the-31-words-that-can-no-longer-be-used-on-vegan-products-according-to-the-eu-burgers-sausages-saved/