Overview

• MEPs voted 355–247 to reserve terms such as burger, schnitzel, steak and wurst for animal products.
• The amendment, championed by French EPP MEP Céline Imart, is part of a wider bill to strengthen farmers’ position in the supply chain.
• Retailers and manufacturers including Aldi Süd, Lidl, Burger King, Rügenwalder Mühle and Beyond Meat oppose the plan, warning of consumer confusion and costly rebranding.
• German politics are split, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer backing the restriction as many CDU/CSU MEPs voted against it.
• A 2024 EU court ruling rejected blanket national bans on such names, and Germany’s market—about 121,600 tonnes of meat alternatives produced in 2024—underscores the stakes as Council negotiations begin.