Plant-based products such as veggie burgers and sausages could lose their meaty names in the UK under a new trade agreement with the EU, the Guardian understands. The Labour government’s sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) deal, secured earlier this year, allows British businesses to export some burgers and sausages to the EU for the first time since Brexit, but ties the UK to certain EU food labelling rules.
The EU is set to vote this week on banning the use of terms like “burger” and “sausage” for vegetarian products, following lobbying from the livestock industry. The European Parliament voted for the ban last month, and the European Commission and member states will now decide whether to adopt it. If passed, the UK government believes the law would automatically apply to British businesses, subject to negotiations for a possible exemption.
The Food Standards Agency has reportedly told stakeholders that UK businesses would be subject to the new rules if adopted. The “common understanding” underpinning the deal states that an exception could only be agreed if it does not lower standards compared to EU rules or negatively affect EU goods in the UK market. Government sources said these clauses would be undermined if the ban was not adopted in the UK.
Critics argue the ban is driven by the meat industry rather than consumer demand. Joel Scott-Halkes of WePlanet said: “There’s no genuine, citizen-driven demand to ban veggie burgers or sausages – just a meat industry push to protect its profit margins.” Supermarkets Aldi and Lidl, Burger King, and sausage producer Rügenwalder Mühle have opposed the ban, saying it would make it harder for consumers to make informed decisions.
Supporters, including French MEP Céline Imart, argue for transparency. Imart said: “A steak, an escalope or a sausage are products from our livestock, not laboratory art nor plant products.” The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, also backed the ban, stating: “A sausage is a sausage. Sausage is not vegan.”
A government spokesperson said: “We are focused on delivering an SPS deal that could add up to £5.1bn a year to our economy by cutting costs and reducing red tape for British growers, producers and retailers. We will not comment on hypothetical scenarios or speculation.”
