European Parliament Backs Ban on Calling Meat-Free Products Steaks or Bacon

The European Parliament approved on Tuesday an agreement reached by EU co-legislators on new rules intended to give farmers a stronger position in the food supply chain, while also tightening the way meat-related terms can be used on food labels.

The legislation includes provisions that would prevent terms such as “steak” or “bacon” from being used for products that contain no meat.

MEPs backed the package by 560 votes in favour, 75 against and 25 abstentions. The rules are designed to ensure that final food prices better reflect real production costs and have a more direct impact on farmers’ incomes.

Member States will be required to establish and publish online reference indicators for use in contractual agreements.

Stronger bargaining power for farmers

The legislation also reinforces the role of producer organisations in market organisation and collective bargaining.

Key provisions include allowing producer organisations to negotiate directly with buyers and introducing rules to prevent buyers from bypassing those organisations in order to contact individual producers directly.

Clearer rules on “fair” food labels

The new rules clarify the use of terms such as “fair” and “equitable” for agricultural products, setting out criteria for when such labelling may be used.

That could include cases where a product contributes to rural community development or helps promote farmers’ organisations.

Meat defined as edible parts of animals

The text introduces a definition of meat as the “edible parts of animals” and sets out a list of terms reserved exclusively for meat products.

Those terms may not be used for products that do not contain meat, including laboratory-grown products or cell-based products.

The reserved terms include beef, veal, pork, poultry, chicken, turkey, duck, goose, lamb, mutton, sheep, goat, leg, loin, sirloin, flank, steak, ribs, shoulder, shank, chop, wing, breast, liver, skirt, ribeye, T-bone, rump and bacon.

The stated aim is to increase transparency in the internal market and allow consumers to make well-informed choices.

More protection for the dairy sector

The legislation also introduces new measures, including mandatory written contracts, to support dairy farmers’ incomes at a difficult time for the sector.

Those contracts would include clauses allowing parties to opt out of price indicators, as well as review clauses.

Céline Imart, an MEP from the European People’s Party, welcomed the vote, saying that “the agreement approved is an important victory for our farmers, strengthening their position in the market, their legal protection and their cultural heritage. Contracts will now guarantee them a fair place in the supply chain, while a mandatory mediation mechanism will protect their incomes in the event of disputes with buyers. In addition, a new antitrust exemption allows unrecognised producer organisations to organise freely and gain significant influence in the market.”

The agreement is also presented as a clear success for traditional livestock production.

Limits on meat-style marketing

Terms such as “steak” and “liver” are now reserved exclusively for products of animal origin, with the aim of avoiding unfair competition and recognising the specific know-how of agricultural production.

The text also explicitly prohibits laboratory-grown or cell-cultivated products from using the designation “meat”, a measure framed as a step towards preserving Europe’s agricultural and food heritage.