EUROPEAN lawmakers have moved to tighten rules around how plant-based meat alternatives can be marketed, banning the use of several traditional meat terms on vegetarian and vegan products while allowing some familiar names such as “burger” and “sausage” to remain.

The decision last Thursday, agreed by representatives of the European Union’s 27 member states and the European Parliament, forms part of a broader package of measures aimed at supporting European farmers and improving clarity for consumers.

Under the new rules, plant-based products will no longer be able to use a wide range of meat-related terms including “steak”, “bacon”, “beef”, “pork”, “chicken”, “lamb”, “ribs”, “tenderloin” and “sirloin”. The restrictions also extend to laboratory-grown or cell-cultured meat products.

However, lawmakers stopped short of a blanket ban on all meat-style descriptions. Terms such as “burger”, “sausage” and “escalope” will still be allowed to describe plant-based products.

The compromise followed months of debate between agricultural groups, food retailers, environmental organisations and consumer advocates.

European livestock producers have long argued that allowing plant-based products to adopt meat-style names risks misleading consumers and undermines the traditional livestock sector.

Critics of the restrictions say consumers already understand the distinction between plant-based and animal-derived foods when products are clearly labelled.

Environmental groups and some lawmakers also argued the restrictions risk placing unnecessary barriers in front of emerging food innovators.

UK rules against plant-based beverages being marketed as milk

The decision follows British Supreme Court ruling last month that the “milk” is legally reserved for products derived from animals. That means plant-based beverages made from oats, almonds or soy cannot be marketed simply as “milk”.

The issue was reinforced recently when Swedish plant-based drink maker Oatly lost a long-running legal battle in the UK over its use of the phrase “post-milk generation”.

Britain’s Supreme Court sided with dairy industry body Dairy UK, ruling that trademarking or using the phrase could mislead consumers because the term “milk” is legally restricted to products derived from mammalian secretions.

The decision reaffirmed the UK’s alignment with longstanding European regulations that protect traditional dairy terminology.

For plant-based beverage companies, that means marketing terms such as “oat drink” or “almond beverage” will continue to be required in Europe and the UK.