Let It Stand: The Music Legend Calls On EU to Scrap Restriction on Veggie ‘Burgers’.

The iconic artist has lent his support for the European Union to turn down a move to ban the use of words such as “sausage” and “patty” for meat-free alternatives.

A Contentious Ruling

The music icon has aligned with eight British MPs who have petitioned the European Commission, arguing that a ban approved in October by the EU parliament would tackle a non-issue while hindering progress on climate goals.

The new rules would spell the end for the use of terms such as steak, burger, sausage or escalope when marketing products made of plants or alternative proteins. Proposed replacements include the less appetising “rounds” or “cylinders”.

“To require that burgers and sausages are ‘vegan’ should be enough for reasonable consumers to comprehend what they are eating. This also fosters behaviors which are crucial to our well-being and that of the Earth,” commented the musician.

A Vocal Supporter

McCartney is one of the world’s most visible advocates of a meat-free lifestyle. Alongside his wife Linda established the Linda McCartney vegetarian products range in 1991, and he and their daughters Mary and Stella initiated the global “Meat Free Monday” campaign to encourage people to cut down on animal products.

Linda McCartney sausages and burgers have been a key component in a global movement of increased interest in products to replace meat, even if funding has declined since a bubble during the coronavirus pandemic.

Farming Opposition

However, alongside the rise of plant-based products has come a strong reaction, notably from the lobbying agricultural and meat processing industries, which are worried about the consequences of falling sales on employment.

The EU Parliament decided 355–247 to forbid “meat-related” names from being used on vegetarian items. According to reports, a proponent of the ban, a member of the centre-right European People’s party, stated to the parliament: “It is my view that such names are products from our animal farms. Full stop. No synthetic alternatives, no vegan options.”

Broader Implications

The correspondence endorsed by the McCartney family and the UK politicians contended that the EU rules might compel Britain into changes as well, because the trade and laws are still so interconnected notwithstanding the UK’s exit from the EU.

The EU has a longstanding “protected designation of origin” system for preventing businesses from trading off the names of products associated with particular regions, such as sparkling wine from France, Kalamata olives or Parma ham. But the bid to curb the use of common words is more controversial.

Linguistic Challenges

A number of the phrases that would be forbidden have flexible definitions. For instance, dictionaries define a sausage firstly in relation to meat but additionally as “an object resembling a sausage”. Making matters more complex, the key meaning of “burger” is often given as a “flat round mass of minced meat or vegetables”.

The eight politicians backing the letter are former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and ex- environmental party co-leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay.