On 23rd July 2026, the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development published amendments to the ongoing revision of the Common Market Organisation regulation, reopening the dispute over whether plant-based products can be labelled with terms such as “burger” and “sausage.” The amendments, tabled by members of the EPP, Patriots for Europe and ECR groups, would extend restrictions beyond the 31 animal-associated terms Parliament had already approved in June, when format-based names including “burger,” “sausage” and “nugget” were left permitted. The Agriculture Committee debated the new amendments on 2nd September, with a committee vote scheduled for December and a plenary vote to follow next year.
The European Alliance for Plant-based Foods and the No Confusion Coalition, which represents more than 600 companies, retailers, investors, and consumer and environmental organisations across 22 EU countries, have both rejected the proposals, arguing they conflict with the European Commission’s EU Protein Action Plan, published on 7th July, which aims to raise the share of EU grown protein used in animal feed from around 26% to 35% within a decade.
Thomas Schobesberger, Secretary General of the European Alliance for Plant-based Foods, said, “These proposals look more like a grocery list for the meat lobby’s summer BBQ than a legislative document. It is simply unbelievable how some MEPs are making this useless debate a political priority when European farmers are struggling, due to an historic drought and heatwave.”
Rafael Pinto of the European Vegetarian Union, spokesperson for the No Confusion Coalition, said, “This is the third time in six years, and the second time during the current parliamentary term, that the European Parliament will vote on banning the words ‘burger’ and ‘sausage’ for plant-based products… MEP’s have been hard a work during the summer while Europeans were struggling with wildfires, droughts and rising costs of living, to once again bring back this non-sense topic.”
