Burger off vote at the EU

The European Union may be about to deal a blow to the followers of the Word’s vegan chef and vegetarians.

Veggie burger and veggie sausage labelling may be banned throughout the EU along with yoghurt-style and cheese-like for plant-based alternatives to traditional meat and dairy products.

France has already banned veggie burger labelling. A satirical Dutch TV show created a spoof advert with the slogan “You have to murder to call it a burger”.

• 

• 

Sales of veggie alternatives are growing fast as they are increasingly seen as a healthier alternative to eat and for the environment.

Farming and meat lobbyists say the veggie terms confuse shoppers and amount to a “cultural hijacking” of the meat industry.

Unilever and Nestle and other opponents of the ban, say the claims of consumer confusion are ridiculous. A House of Lords report said only four per cent of shoppers had bought a veggie product by mistake.

The  meat lobby wants names currently used for meat products to be “exclusively for products containing meat.”

There is already a ban on plant-based alternatives calling themselves milk, cream, butter, cheese or yoghurt. The dairy lobby wants this extended to outlaw terms likening the products to dairy, such as style, imitation, flavour and substitute.

The decision is expected on Tuesday. Observers say it could go either way but if approved implementation would be negotiated with member state governments. A final decision is expected before 2021.

*Meat burger is first, on the left