Plant-Based Industry Body Rejects Fresh Bid to Restrict “Burger” and “Sausage” Labels

The European Alliance for Plant-based Foods (EAPF) has rejected proposed amendments by conservative and right-wing members of the European Parliament to extend the list of terms prohibited for plant-based products to include "burger", "sausage", "schnitzel" and "nugget". These amendments, part of the ongoing full revision of the Common Market Organisation regulation, would further restrict the labeling of plant-based products, sparking a debate that has resurfaced multiple times in the past six years.

The EAPF argues that these proposals go against the EU Protein Action Plan, which aims to promote plant-based value chains and reduce dependency on imported feed. The timing of the amendments, amidst drought and heatwaves affecting European agriculture, has raised concerns about their impact on the plant-based industry. The alliance believes that imposing additional restrictions on plant-based product labeling hinders market stability for producers and limits consumer choice, ultimately harming the growth of the plant-based sector in the EU.