Overview
- Parliament approved the compromise with a recorded vote of 560 Yes, 75 No and 25 abstentions on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, reserving animal species and specific cut names for animal products.
- The text defines meat as the “edible parts of animals” and bars non‑animal products from using names that refer to species or cuts such as poultry, beef, ribs, shoulder, liver, kotelett or bacon.
- Generic or preparation‑based labels will remain allowed so terms like Veggie‑Burger, Tofu‑Wurst, Sellerie‑Schnitzel or Veggie‑Gyros can still be used, while the ban also covers lab‑grown and cell‑based products.
- The rule is provisional and part of a wider farmers’ package that includes mandatory written contracts and online price‑reference indicators; member‑state confirmation is required and industry will get up to three years to rebrand products.
- German ministers and food industry groups warned of extra bureaucracy, rebranding costs and market friction in the bloc’s largest plant‑based market, and the regulation will be revisited during the next Common Agricultural Policy reform set for after 2027.