Why EU Wants To Scrap 'Veggie Burger', 'Vegan Sausage'? Beatles Star Joins Uproar

Last Updated:December 07, 2025, 23:07 IST

The European Union is set to vote on a legislation that could prohibit food producers from using designations such as "veggie burger" or "vegan sausage" for plant-based dishes.

The proposed EU ban can prohibit food producers from using designations such as "veggie burger" or "vegan sausage" for plant-based dishes. (AI-Generated Image)

Beatles legend Paul McCartney has joined the uproar of several UK MPs who have urged the European Union to scrap an upcoming legislation that could ban food producers from designations such as “veggie burger" or “vegan sausage" for plant-based and lab-grown dishes.

The proposed EU ban, if passed into law, would prohibit food producers from using designations such as “veggie burger" or “vegan sausage" for plant-based and lab-grown dishes. The European Parliament voted in October to ban the use of “meaty terms" to describe vegetarian food.

Why EU Wants To Ban ‘Veggie Burger’?

The EU vote, which was passed 355-247, was initiated by Celine Imart, a French member of the European Parliament. “‘A steak, an escalope or a sausage are products from our livestock, not laboratory art nor plant products," Imart told Politico.

Imart, who drafted the amendment to legislation intended to strengthen the position of farmers in the food supply chain, said there was a need for transparency and clarity for the consumer and recognition for the work of farmers. She argued the proposal is in line with EU rules that already ban the use of terms such as “milk" and “yoghurt" for non-dairy products, according to The Guardian.

However, critics have lambasted the move, saying it would create confusion among consumers. The Green Party in the UK called it a populist move to rename plant-based foods. “Veggie burgers, seitan schnitzel and tofu sausage do not confuse consumers, only rightwing politicians," said Thomas Waitz, an Austrian Green MEP

Even Imart’s own centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) is divided on the issue. The EPP’s group leader, Manfred Weber, said before the vote that the issue was not a priority for him and that lawmakers had more important things to deal with. “Consumers are not stupid when they go to the supermarkets and buy their products," he said.

What Did Paul McCartney Say?

The 83-year-old former Beatles star, who became a vegetarian in 1975 after the death of his wife in 1998, told The Times of London that calling burgers and sausages ‘plant-based’, ‘vegetarian’ and ‘vegan’ was enough for sensible people to understand what they are eating. “This also encourages attitudes essential to our health and that of the planet," he said.

The McCartney family, which owns a business of vegetarian foods and recipes, also supported a letter to the EU by eight British MPs, which said the proposed EU ban “could increase confusion" and “undermine economic growth, sustainability goals, and the EU’s own simplification agenda".

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