European Parliament Defends Veggie 'Burgers' Against Farmers' Objections
October 23 2020 - 12:04PM
Dow Jones News
By Adam Clark
The European Parliament has voted against a measure that
proposed a ban on referring to vegetable-based products with
meat-related terms such as 'veggie burgers', in a blow to the hopes
of the continent's livestock sector.
Lawmakers rejected all proposals to reserve meat-related names
to products containing meat, the European Parliament's Committee on
Agricultural and Rural Development said Friday. The vote was 379
against and 284 votes in favor.
The European livestock lobby had pushed for such a restriction,
attacking what they called "surrealistic meat and dairy
denominations", in a campaign led by industry body Copa-Cogeca.
While restrictions relating to meat were voted down, European
lawmakers did vote to ban indirect references to dairy products for
plant-based foods, such as "yoghurt-style" or "cream imitation".
Plant-based products are already prohibited from using terms such
as milk or butter.
The decision on dairy terms was criticized by environmental
groups and bodies associated with the plant-based food
industry.
"We are perplexed by this decision by MEPs who should be doing
all they can to support the consumption of plant-based products to
address the growing climate crisis, which is largely caused by
animal agriculture," said Louise Davies, head of policy at The
Vegan Society.
The votes were part of a wider debate on reforms to the European
Union's Common Agricultural Policy, worth billions in subsidies to
the continent's farmers. The European Parliament will negotiate
with individual member states before the final legislation comes
into force.
The highest-profile manufacturer of plant-based meat substitutes
have been U.S. companies Beyond Meat Inc. and Impossible Foods Inc.
The former launched its first manufacturing capabilities in Europe
earlier this year, with facilities in the Netherlands.
However, they face domestic European rivals including leading
food manufacturer Nestle SA, which in June lost a trademark case
over the term 'Incredible Burger' against Impossible Foods. Nestle
said at the time that it intended to appeal but would rebrand its
products as 'Sensational Burgers'.
Write to Adam Clark at adam.clark@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
October 23, 2020 11:49 ET (15:49 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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