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In Europe, a loss for ‘real meat’, but a win for ‘real dairy’

The European Parliament has rejected proposals that would have prevented plant-based meat alternatives from using terms such as steak, sausage or burger.

European farm groups supported the ban on the use of those of those terms, arguing that labelling plant-based products with traditional meat monikers was misleading and would confuse consumers. Environmental groups opposed it, claiming that It would discourage consumers from shifting to more plant-based diets and undermine the EU’s environmental and health goals.

Ag interests did come away with a victory, however, when a majority of EU lawmakers voted for stricter rules on labelling of dairy substitutes. They backed a ban on terms such as “milk-like” or “cheese-style” for plant-based products that contain no dairy ingredients.