EU lawmakers push to ban term 'veggie-burger'

[bradley13]

Some food labelling is misleading. One example I have seen ist (small) "veggie" (big) "CRISPY CHICKEN".

But burger? Sure, burgers are often beef, but there have always been other kinds. "Chicken burger", "crab burger", so why not "veggie burger".

The EU likes making regulations, to the point that they are killing their own industry

[GoToRO]

The problem is that on the packaging Burger will be written with huge letters and then vegan is metioned somewhere in a corner. I bought cheese that was not cheese :)) Imagine my disappointment.

[tcfhgj]

> so why not "veggie burger".

1. even this will be illegal

2. why not: there are countless of vegetarian Burger types, one of them is one in the style of crispy chicken burgers - without meat

[t0rt01se]

Ooc what did you mean by 'their own' industry? The industry of making regulations or the food industry?

[odyssey7]

This move will expand the public's belief that regulation means "a ridiculous incursion of rights," leading to greater belief that society is better off without regulation.

[potato3732842]

Any legislative body that sees fit to weigh in on such minutia ought not to be legislating.

"Veggie burger" as a term has been in common usage by the public long before any of the other words that convey the same thing.

[mrtksn]

It depends, its a war between the right to know what you are eating without studying it thoroughly first and the right to claim things as something that they are not.

In Europe people tend to be the first kind and see the government as tool for protecting them from the second kind.

The revolution is unlikely.

[Eddy_Viscosity2]

There is a long history of legal use of words about what foods are. Like what you are allowed to call 'butter' or 'beer'. There's also the regional names like parmesan and champagne. This looks like its following that established norm.

[mrguyorama]

In the US, a meaningful fraction of the "Regulation bad" people are also in the "Ban fake meat" camp soo....

They might just not have consistent political opinions?

Clearly though, these should be sold as "Sparkling vegetable patty"

[intended]

The article suggests that the voting public, at least the agriculture involved bits, were interested in having this passed.

[poszlem]

So a net positive.

[KempyKolibri]

> The EU has already defined dairy items milk, butter, cream, yoghurt and cheese as "products secreted by mammary glands"

I think they should just label things more explicitly like this - accelerate veganism 100x when people in the supermarkets have to choose between “pressed soybeans” and “mammary gland secretions”.

[someNameIG]

So are they going to change the name of peanut butter? Coconut milk? Neither are secretions of mammary glands

[nicole_express]

We're going to see more ridiculous overreach like this as alternatives to meat consumption get more popular. (I say ridiculous because no one is getting confused by "veggie-burger")

[tmtvl]

> The EU has already defined dairy items milk, butter, cream, yoghurt and cheese as "products secreted by mammary glands", meaning that what might otherwise be called oat milk is instead generally referred to as oat drink.

Meanwhile, back in 1755:

> MILK. n.s. [meelc, Saxon; melck, Dutch.]

> 2. Emulsion made by contusion of seeds.

> Pistachoes, so they be good and not musty, joined with almonds in almond milk, or made into a milk of themselves, like unto almond milk, are an excellent nourisher.

[mrguyorama]

I love strict product labeling rules and laws. Thanks to those kinds of regulations, people like my mom can buy stuff knowing that it won't hurt them unexpectedly. I'm frustrated with the status quo of being able to say "100% real chicken" in your 50% by weight chicken nuggets. It pisses me off that saying "gluten free" on products that should never contain gluten improves sales, and I find that a poor excuse to allow that. I'm tired of all the puffery that claims in big bold letters "Best product" and then in a tiny print somewhere else "compared to a fake product we only ran in a small community to invent this accolade"

Unfortunately, this "article" provides zero actual information. No actual text of what was voted on. No context for when or where "veggie burger" is supposedly banned.

So great, can't find out if there might be nuance to this issue, can't find out any arguments, can't even find the actual words which were voted on. Oh, actually looks like this was a vote for an amendment? No actual law has been voted on yet.

That has not stopped anyone here from makings broad and sweeping generalizations, as usual.

[tyleo]

Vegetables are delicious. I wish vegan options would lean into this instead of trying to be fake meat. IMO grilled mushrooms are tastier than grilled goop pressed into burger form.

[mitthrowaway2]

Grilled mushrooms aren't exactly the nutritional equivalent though. I'd much rather be eating grilled lentil paste if it's my main course.

[odyssey7]

Some of modern vegetarianism in the West has involved reinventing familiar entrees to make them vegetarian. A lot of those efforts really have been disappointing.

I'd encourage new vegetarians to try embracing vegetarian staples from places like India, where culinary traditions have a lengthy proven history of supporting healthy and satisfying vegetarianism.

But I'd also say, some veggie burgers really are great. They taste good, they're satisfying, and nobody is deceived when they read "veggie burger" on the menu. This regulation is nonsense. It's just telling vegetarians that their linguistic tradition around their diets -- part of their cultural heritage -- is now banned in the EU.

[FranzFerdiNaN]

So its the right move because you dont like the taste of something?

[tcfhgj]

people obviously want fake meat/burgers without actual meat, even if you don't

[pjmlp]

My point exactly, eating fake meat it only fooling oneself.

So many delicious dishes from world regions where being a vegetarian is the norm.

[tcfhgj]

I found that mostly people who are opposed to the existence of these products per se are proponents of this ban.

[pndy]

> a regulation designed to give farmers a stronger negotiating position

Honestly, this feels like a smoke and mirrors done ahead of Mercosur agreement enrollment which may put European farmers especially the smaller ones on lost position facing competition from South America.

[johnea]

Personally, as someone who is primarily vegetarian, I agree with this prohibition.

I've found it very annoying for years when a veggie food shop calls it's products "veggie chicken nuggets" and the like.

Not only is it annoying that they use meat product names to market veggie products, but more importantly it also obscures the actual ingredients of the product.

[belorn]

I am always reminded of the Yes minister "The Emulsified High-Fat Offal Tube" joke which is close to 40 years old now (https://youtu.be/sPwQ0PmK9lw?si=aOvPYUpJcsw8g_kN&t=68). The EU has a very long history of standardize food names, with the natural result that some stuff get forced to change their name.

One of my favorite of such thing is that there seem to be a rule dictating that if you have something called strawberry juice, it has to have strawberries in them. Once I got to the store and the name on one kind of bottle was "Strawberry inspired taste", which made me laugh quite badly.

[okl]

Problem here is that the excessive focus on secondary issues raises the perception of a problem solving deficit which reduces support/legitimacy for the political system.

It would be nice to focus on solving more existential problems of which there are enough.

[28304283409234]

"Because this is the most urgent matter at hand, dad?" -My 14 year old daughter.

[intended]

As an inveterate “get off of my lawn” crabby person, I can get behind this.

I tilt against the windmills of the “vegetarian omelette”.

[pndy]

I saw "vegetarian rice" made out of Basmati rice last month - a clear marketing ploy to grab particular customers but my brain got mental fart and I wondered for a few seconds amused "as opposed to what - meat based rice?"

[jjgreen]

They'll be coming for the sausage next

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=lm&q=yes+minister+euro+sausage&ia=...

[crtasm]

While this seems ridiculous I do wish fast food places in particular would be specific what they're selling - is your veggie burger some vegetables/beans in a crispy coating, or a textured thing trying to emulate meat? I've never eaten meat and don't want the latter.

[derbOac]

This sort of thing would be comical if it weren't so blatantly and corruptly protecting meat producers. The reason the term evolved is because it works well in meaning. You don't have to like veggie burgers to see what's going on.

Let the verbal gymnastics commence. Or maybe places should start naming veggie burgers after the EU governance in satire?

[Ekaros]

Well better they spend time on this sort of stuff than say chat control. (Not that I am not supporter as meat eater...)

[Simulacra]

This reminds me of the ongoing problem with products being labeled "natural."

[mytailorisrich]

The EU is a champion of consumers rights as usually applauded on HN. Seems exactly what they are doing here: to avoid misleading or confusing naming practices.

[stanski]

This is ridiculous. A burger is a construct.

Sure, you can't call a veggie patty a beef patty, but how does the meat industry own the word burger?

[saubeidl]

This is classic right wing identity politics. They are so obsessed with silly labels - is there nothing more important to deal with?

[theandrewbailey]

Double-plus good.

/s

[ReptileMan]

Food safety and food traditions protections is one of the few areas in which EU are actually good.

[r9295]

Unsure what either of those have to do with this law

[FranzFerdiNaN]

This is a ridiculous move. Its just the right-wing going Trump-like anti-woke owning the liberals.