EU Lawmakers 'Pro' Veggie Burgers, 'Anti' Dairy Analogues

Meat-substitute products in the European Union can call themselves “veggie burgers” or “vegan sausages,” the European Parliament said on Friday, but the same flexibility was not extended to dairy analogues.

Reuters news service reported EU lawmakers in Brussels voted to reject proposals, backed by livestock farmers, to ban plant-based products from using terms such as steak, sausage or burger. Opponents said such words mislead consumers.

But a majority of EU lawmakers also voted on Friday for stricter rules on labeling of dairy substitutes, backing a ban on terms such as “milk-like” or “cheese-style” for products that contain no dairy ingredients, Reuters reported. The European Court of Justice already banned “soy milk” and “vegan cheese” three years ago, ruling that words such as milk, butter, cheese and yoghurt cannot be used for non-dairy products.