A new legislative front has opened in the European food industry, and this time the issue is not product safety or quality, but their naming. The European Union is preparing to introduce new rules that will change how plant-based products are marketed, following a provisional agreement between the EU Council and the European Parliament.

According to this agreement, terms such as “steak,” “bacon,” and “liver” will be reserved exclusively for meat products, while vegetarian burgers and plant-based sausages will, for now, be allowed to retain their names. The compromise reflects tensions between the two sides: farmers’ organizations argue that the use of traditional meat-related terms for plant-based products creates confusion and harms the livestock sector, while the plant-based alternatives industry warns that rebranding and packaging adjustments would generate significant costs.

The broader legislative context is also relevant. In 2017, the Court of Justice of the European Union already prohibited the use of terms such as “milk,” “yogurt,” and “cheese” for plant-based products — a precedent that indicates the direction of European regulation. Additionally, on January 22, 2025, the EU published the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which restricts the use of certain chemical substances in food packaging, while the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is set to come into force in 2026.

For the meat and dairy industries, these new regulations represent a formal recognition of the specificity of animal-based products within the European market — a strong argument in the context of growing competition from plant-based alternatives.

(Photo: Freepik)