ProVeg urges that new restrictions will impact innovation and competitiveness
Negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union have reached a provisional agreement in trilogues on plant-based naming rules under the revision of the CMO-market regulation. During Thursday afternoon, the negotiator reached an agreement that will ban the use of 31 words in total. The list includes animal associated names such as ‘chicken’, ‘beef’ or ‘pork’ and cuts terms like ‘breast’, ‘thigh’ or ‘drumstick’.
Widely used terms such as ‘burger’, ‘sausage’ and ‘nuggets’ will still be allowed, but not ‘steak’, which was added to the ban list, together with ‘liver’ during the negotiations. This means that format-based names (such as burger, sausage and nuggets) remain largely permitted, while the restrictions focus mainly on animal-species names and meat-cut terminology.
The other contentious issue in the negotiation was the inclusion of novel foods, such as cellular agriculture. Although the products are not yet available on the EU market, the co-legislators agreed to extend the ban preemptively.
The co-legislators agreed on a three-year transition period allowing producers to clear existing stock and adapt to the new rules once the legislation enters into force. The technical details of the compromise will be finalised next Friday. The file will then proceed to formal adoption by the Agriculture and Fisheries Council (Member State ministers), followed by a final vote in the European Parliament plenary.
ProVeg International welcomes the move away from a broad ban with more draconian recommendations, but maintains that new restrictions remain unnecessary. The organisation also stresses that any new rules must remain proportionate and legally coherent.
Clarity comes from information, not bans
“There is no evidence of widespread consumer confusion where products are clearly labelled as plant-based or vegan,” said Jasmijn de Boo, Global CEO of ProVeg International. “Removing familiar terms does not improve transparency; it reduces clarity and increases friction at the point of purchase.”
Over 90% of EU consumers can distinguish between plant-based and animal-based products when qualifiers are used. Around 80% support the continued use of familiar terms with clear vegetarian or vegan labelling.
Significant business disruption
The decision is expected to:
- Trigger widespread rebranding and packaging changes
- Increase operational and compliance costs
- Disproportionately impact SMEs
- Create uncertainty across EU languages and markets
Industry estimates suggest hundreds of millions of euros in combined rebranding costs and lost revenue in major EU markets.
Key questions remain unanswered
Even with political agreement, several implementation challenges remain unresolved:
- Ensuring consistent interpretation across all EU languages.
- Avoiding regulatory fragmentation across Member States.
- By extending restrictions to prospective novel foods such as cultivated meat, the proposal effectively places limitations on products before they are even authorised or available on the market.
- Hybrid products combining animal and plant-based protein, increasingly popular in markets such as Denmark and the Netherlands, now need to be renamed.
Translation and linguistic coherence will be particularly complex. Without careful coordination, the same product could face different naming constraints in different markets, undermining the Single Market. Moreover, the updated regulation needs to provide clarity that enables businesses to understand, interpret, and adapt quickly. Otherwise, we will see consequences for sales, investment, and innovation.
“Agreement is only the first step,” added de Boo. “The real impact will depend on how these rules are implemented in practice.”
A signal at odds with EU ambitions
At a time when Europe faces pressing challenges around farmer incomes, food security, market resilience, and climate adaptation, ProVeg urges policymakers to focus on substantive food system reform rather than symbolic naming debates.
“This debate is about more than names,” de Boo continued. “Labelling should empower consumers and support a competitive, future-fit food system. Rather than introducing restrictions, policymakers should focus on encouraging plant-based innovation, boosting the EU economy, supporting farmers, improving public health, and advancing climate goals.”
Europe currently leads the global plant-based market. With the right framework, alternative proteins could generate over €111 billion annually and support more than 400,000 jobs by 2040.
ProVeg remains committed to evidence-based regulation that protects consumers while enabling innovation and fair competition.
ENDS
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Contact details for press officers:
ProVeg International: Gemma Chapman | Advocacy Communications Manager | [email protected]
Editor’s notes:
Full list of restricted terms: Beef; Veal; Pork; Poultry; Chicken; Turkey; Duck; Goose; Lamb; Mutton; Ovine; Goat; Drumstick; Tenderloin; Sirloin; Flank; Loin; Ribs; Shoulder; Shank; Chop; Wing; Breast; Thigh; Brisket; Ribeye; T-bone; Rump; Bacon; Steak; Liver.
ProVeg International
Our vision is a world where the food we eat is good for all people, animals, and our planet.
Our mission is to accelerate the transition to a sustainable global food system by making plant-rich foods and alternative proteins more accessible and appealing.
