Vegan Charity Condemns EU Ban on ‘Meaty Names’ for Plant-Based Food

Consumers will lose out as the naming ban hands the meat lobby a monopoly on a plate, says Viva!

• Viva! has today criticised EU lawmakers for banning ‘meaty’ names for vegan and vegetarian products, following intense lobbying by the powerful meat industry
• The charity argues the ruling protects meat industry profits at the expense of consumer choice
• Ruling comes just weeks after the UK Supreme Court ruled against Oatly over its ‘Post-Milk Generation’ slogan

6 March 2026 – Bristol, UK

For immediate release

The UK’s leading vegan campaigning charity, Viva!, has condemned the actions of EU lawmakers after they voted to ban the use of ‘meaty’ names for vegan and vegetarian food products.

Under the new rules, some of the most common plant-based, fermented and lab-grown alternatives to meat will have to be renamed. While supporters say this will lead to less confusion for consumers, critics – including Viva! – argue that the ban will lead to more confusion.

Juliet Gellatley, the founder and director of Viva!, says: “Familiar terms help consumers understand how to cook and present plant-based dishes, as well as what they’re supposed to taste like. Clear labelling also empowers consumers who care about animal welfare or the environment and sustainability to make more informed, compassionate choices. We know that plant-based foods are kinder to animals and the planet; EU lawmakers should be championing them, not placing obstacles in the path of progress by policing everyday language.”

Public opinion is firmly against the decision: a recent survey of 20,000 consumers by Radar Panel found that more than two-thirds of respondents said they are opposed to a ban on meaty names for vegetarian and vegan products. However, the ruling means that 31 meat terms now cannot be used to describe them, including ‘ribs’, ‘steak’, ‘chicken’, ‘lamb’ and ‘bacon’.

But in a small win for plant-based food producers, the terms ‘burger’ and ‘sausage’ remain on the table after an earlier proposal to ban them was abandoned.

The latest crackdown is the result of a recent post-Brexit sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) deal between the UK and Europe, which lets the former sell products – including some meat-based foods – in the EU. Unfortunately, the deal has also exposed the UK to EU food labelling rules it has little power to resist.

EU regulations already prohibit the use of terms such as “milk”, “yoghurt” and “cheese” to describe plant-based alternatives such as soy and oat drinks. And in the UK, the news comes just weeks after the Supreme Court found in favour of Dairy UK in its case against Swedish oat drink producer Oatly, which had been defending its “Post-Milk Generation” slogan.

The French centre-right MEP and farmer Céline Imart, who drafted the amendment, said ahead of the ban that there was “a need for transparency and clarity for the consumer and recognition for the work of our farmers”. Yesterday, she called the ruling “an undeniable success for our livestock farmers”.

Agustín Reyna, director general of The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), took the opposite view, stating: “These names make it easy for those who want to integrate these options in their diets, and the new rules will increase confusion and are simply not necessary.”

Gellatley adds: “While dishonestly couched as a win for consumers, this ban does nothing other than showcase the power of the trillion-dollar global meat industry. The agenda is transparent: to suppress sales of healthy, cruelty-free vegan alternatives and hamstring the competition.”

She continues: “Vegan businesses have sustained several attacks in recent years, not least an insidious and highly coordinated multimillion-pound campaign focused on deterring meat-eaters from swapping to healthier, plant-based alternatives. When you consider that meat is one of the main ingredients of ultra-processed foods – and processed meats are a Group 1 carcinogen, which causes cancer – it becomes clear that this is less about consumer rights and more about profit protection.”

While the ban has specifically impacted plant-based alternatives to meat, other foods appear to be safe from overzealous labelling laws: peanut butter, coconut milk, sweetbreads, head cheese and hot dogs remain untouched – perhaps because none of them threaten the meat industry’s bottom line.

ENDS

Notes

• Viva! is a registered charity (number 1037486) and the UK’s leading vegan campaigning organisation
• For assets and further information, including access to Viva! spokespeople, contact Rachael Simpson-Jones, PR manager at Viva! – rachael@viva.org.uk