On this day in vegan history · October 23, 2020
A Veggie Burger Stays a Burger
Europe's meat lobby wanted plant-based patties stripped of the word burger; the European Parliament said no, 379 to 284.
The facts
- Date
- 23 October 2020
- Amendment rejected
- Amendment 165, which would have reserved 'burger', 'sausage', 'steak' and similar terms for meat products only
- Vote
- 379 against to 284 in favor, with 27 abstentions
- Same-day contrast
- MEPs separately tightened rules on dairy-style descriptors such as 'yogurt-style' and 'cheese alternative' for plant milks
On October 23, 2020, the European Parliament voted down Amendment 165, a push from farm-lobby allies on the Agriculture Committee to reserve words like burger, sausage, steak and escalope for meat alone. The amendment lost 379 to 284, with 27 abstentions, so a veggie burger could go on being sold as a burger. Oddly, the same session tightened the other direction on dairy, restricting descriptors like yogurt-style and cheese alternative for plant milks, building on a 2017 EU court ruling that had already banned calling soy juice milk. Meat and dairy groups argued shared names confused shoppers; consumer advocates and vegan groups said nobody buys a chickpea sausage thinking it once had a heartbeat.
In their words
The day in the words of the people who were there. Every quote is verbatim, and every source links out so you can check it.
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Reason prevailed, and climate sinners lost.
Nikolaj Villumsen, Danish member of the European Parliament, in a tweet after the vote
Source: Maine Public (NPR) -
Consumers are in no way confused by a soy steak or chickpea-based sausage, so long as it is clearly labelled as vegetarian or vegan.
Camille Perrin, senior food policy officer at the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC)
Source: Maine Public (NPR)
Why it still matters
It kept the on-ramp open: plant-based food only wins shelf space if the name on the package still makes sense to someone standing in a supermarket aisle, and a ban would have forced sellers to call a patty something no shopper would reach for.
Sources
This history is still being written.
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