The European Parliament on Wednesday voted in favour of new legislation banning the use of words such as “veggieburger” and reserving terms like “sausage” and “steak” for meat-based products.

The legislation, backed by the Dutch meat industry and opposed by many Dutch MEPs, also introduces a new definition of meat as “edible parts of animals”. Cell-cultured products, such as lab-grown meat, would also be banned from using the term.

The measure was proposed by the parliament’s agriculture committee, which said consumers are being confused by the current situation. This, committee chairwoman Céline Imart said, puts farmers at a disadvantage.

A similar proposal was rejected by a large majority in 2020, but the make-up of the parliament has shifted to the right since then. In total, 355 MEPs voted for the ban and 247 against.

Dirk Gotink, an MEP for the Nieuw Sociaal Contract party, said on social media that the move is a waste of time. “Europe is facing so many crises, and the European Parliament wants rules for veggie burgers,” he wrote. “People know if they are buying meat or vegetarian, and we don’t need any more European rules to help them.”

Renew group leader and D66 MEP Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy called the measure “completely absurd”.

Anna Strolenberg, Volt MEP and negotiator for the European Greens on agricultural policy, told the NRC the meat lobby is reacting defensively. “It’s clearly afraid that innovative food companies will overtake it,” she said. “Europe should be supporting the sustainable sector instead of burdening it with extra costs for rebranding and marketing.”

However, Jessika van Leeuwen, an MEP for the pro-farming BBB party, told the Telegraaf that the vote is a breakthrough. “Consumers will be better informed about what they are buying,” she said. “And it is only right that the skills of our farmers and butchers are valued.”

The ban is not yet certain and the draft legislation still has to be discussed with the European Commission and EU member states. If they do not support it, the ban will not come into force.

Similar bans have already been introduced for dairy product names, preventing non-dairy drinks and cheeses from being marketed as “oat milk” or “cashew cheese”.