Overview
- Parliament and member-state negotiators enter a decisive round today that could lock in restrictive naming rules for plant-based products.
- The measure would limit words such as steak, schnitzel, burger and wurst to animal-based items, replacing current practices that allow these descriptors for alternatives.
- Germany opposes the plan, with Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer warning of high costs and added bureaucracy, yet a member-state majority could still approve it.
- Major retailers and producers including Aldi Süd, Lidl, Burger King and Beyond Meat urged negotiators to drop the ban, citing rebranding burdens and market disruption.
- Consumer groups and NGOs criticize the proposal and Foodwatch questions its legality, while a DPA poll found roughly half of Germans favor restricting traditional meat terms.