More than a dozen food companies have urged the European Commission not to ban the use of words such as “sausage” and “burger” for non-meat products. The supermarkets Aldi and Lidl, which are headquartered in Germany, the biggest market for plant-based products in Europe, also oppose the proposed ban. Paul Garner, the commerce area leader at Suma Wholefoods, one of the longerstanding producers of plant-based foods, said: “We’ve been championing vegetarian and plant-based food since 1977 and we’ve seen so much innovation – and the inevitable pushback that follows. He said: “In 40 years, not once has a customer told us they bought a Quorn product believing it to be meat. EU decision-makers must recognise the global risks of pursuing a terminology ban to address a problem that simply does not exist.

Source: The Guardian February 13, 2026 01:31 UTC