Sawt Falasteen - 'Veggie burgers' face grilling in EU parliament

Concerns over the greenhouse gas emissions from livestock farms have in recent years driven more Europeans to adopt vegetarian, vegan or plant-based diets, seen by advocates as a healthier alternative to regular meat consumption.

But many European livestock farmers -- and the politicians who represent them -- see plant-based foods that mimic meat as a threat, and one more challenge facing a troubled sector.

"It's not sausage, and it's not steak, plain and simple. Let's call a spade a spade," said Celine Imart, a right-wing EU lawmaker pushing for such terms to be banned for non-animal-based products.

"It's everyone's right to eat alternative proteins -- made from plants, laboratories, tofu or insect flour," said Imart, who besides her work in parliament farms cereals on the side.

"But calling it 'meat' is misleading for the consumer," she told AFP.

If the proposal up for debate Tuesday in Strasbourg, followed by a vote on Wednesday, becomes law, a long list of labels, including "sausage" and "burger", would be reserved for foods containing meat.

That prospect is still some way off.

Even if parliament backs the proposal, it still needs to be negotiated with the EU's 27 member states.

France's livestock and meat industry body, Interbev, strongly backs the push.

"We refuse to let plant proteins appropriate meat names for marketing purposes," the group's head, Jean-Francois Guihard, told AFP, saying such terms "weaken recognition for raw, 100 percent natural products".

"Without clear safeguards, consumers risk being misled by products that are disguised as meat -- but are not meat."

Green EU lawmaker Anna Strolenberg rejects that argument.

"A 'veggie burger' ban won't change anything for farmers," said the Dutch politician, who opposes the plan on the grounds that it would deprive consumers of useful information about what they are buying.

Her fellow Green lawmaker David Cormand called the debate a "publicity stunt" and an unwelcome "distraction" for parliament.

"In the meantime we are not dealing with the major issues facing the farm sector," he said.

- Hit to German economy -

It is not the first time veggie burgers have found themselves in the crosshairs of European lawmakers.

A similar call to ban such terms was rejected in 2020.

But the balance of power has shifted since the 2024 European elections saw big gains by right-wing parties that cultivate close ties to the farm sector.

Imart says the new proposal is "in line with European rules", which already restrict the use of traditional dairy terms from "milk" to "yogurt" and "cheese".

"It's only fair to do the same for meat," she said.

That said, the boss of Imart's centre-right EPP party, Manfred Weber, told reporters Tuesday the proposed ban was "not at all a priority".

Nicolas Schweitzer, chief executive of the French brand La Vie, which supplies Burger King with plant-based "bacon", argues that the current labelling system "does not aim to harm farmers".

"It's just a simpler, more straightforward way for consumers to understand what is being offered, how they can cook it similarly, and for products to carry comparable nutritional information," he told AFP.

"These are products that tick all the boxes to address issues related to animal welfare, intensive farming, climate change," he said. "That should be encouraged, not made harder."

In Germany, the EU proposal has alarmed major supermarkets such as Lidl and Aldi, which say banning "familiar terms" would make it "more difficult for consumers to make informed decisions".

What's more, it "would make it much more difficult for companies to sell their products", the groups said in a statement along with two dozen industry groups, including the plant-based burger firm "Beyond Meat".

They warned that as Europe's largest market for plant-based alternative products by far, Germany would be "particularly affected economically".

The debate is also stirring emotions in France, which passed a similar label ban in 2024 to appease angry farmers -- only for it to be overturned the following January in line with a ruling by the EU's top court.

I.Matar--SF-PST