Updated 26 October 2026. This article first appeared in October 2025, when the rules were still a proposal. It has been rewritten to reflect what has since been decided. Last checked: 26 October 2026.

The long-running argument over what plant-based foods may be called has produced a real law. After a provisional deal in March 2026, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU gave their final approval, and the text was published in the Official Journal on 29 July 2026. Below is what it says, what it leaves out, and what could still change.

How we got here

In July 2025 the European Commission proposed, as part of a package to strengthen farmers’ position in the food supply chain, to define “meat” as the edible parts of animals and to reserve 29 meat-related terms for animal products. In October 2025 Parliament backed a version of the idea and sent the file to negotiations with the Council. According to the Parliament’s procedure file, Parliament voted on 8 October 2025, then approved the agreed text on 16 June 2026. The Council adopted the act on 29 June 2026, it was signed on 8 July 2026 and published on 29 July 2026.

Negotiators struck the provisional deal on 5 March 2026, according to a European Parliament press release. The Parliament vote in June was 560 in favour, 75 against and 25 abstentions, as reported by Brussels Signal.

What the law says

• Definition: “meat” means the edible parts of animals.
• Reserved names: 31 designations, including beef, pork, chicken, turkey, lamb, bacon, steak, liver, breast, thigh, wing, ribs and T-bone, plus the word “meat” itself, per the lists in Green Queen’s report and the AINIA analysis.
• Still allowed: “burger”, “sausage”, “nuggets” and similar terms are not reserved, so “veggie burger” and “vegan sausage” remain legal.
• Cultivated products: the reserved names and the word “meat” may not be used for foods made from cultured cells or tissues.

When it applies

The regulation has a three-year transition. The law firm Osborne Clarke reports that it entered into force on 18 August (2026) and that the meat-name rules apply from 19 August 2029. According to AINIA, products placed on the market or imported before that date may be sold until stocks run out or, at the latest, until 19 August 2032. Nothing changes on shelves today.

AINIA also notes that the practical effect on plant-based foods is still uncertain. It depends on how national authorities interpret the text and on possible later implementing acts.

What happens next

The question is not fully closed. Osborne Clarke reports that on 2 September 2026 the Parliament’s Agriculture Committee began examining an amendment, tabled within a wider reform of the common market organisation for agricultural products, that would add 21 more terms, including “burger” and “sausage”. GFI Europe’s timeline expects a committee vote in December 2026 and a plenary vote in early 2027. It is a proposal only. Until it is adopted by both Parliament and Council, “veggie burger” stays legal under EU law.

Supporters of the restrictions, mainly farming groups, say they protect consumers and the value of livestock products. Opponents, including plant-based companies and several NGOs, say shoppers are not misled by clear labelling and that renaming products is costly. Courts have taken a similar line in the past: GFI Europe notes that France’s highest court ruled in January 2024 that consumers are not confused by such terms.

Related reading on this site

• Plant protein vs animal protein: what the evidence says on nutrition.
• Ascorbic acid and iron absorption: a nutrition explainer for plant-based diets.
• Turkey’s stray animal law: another animal-related law we follow.

Sources

• European Parliament, Procedure file 2024/0319(COD), accessed 26 October 2026.
• European Parliament, Deal on measures to reinforce farmers’ position in the food supply chain, accessed 26 October 2026.
• Osborne Clarke, EU clamps down on meat names for plant-based and cultivated alternatives, accessed 26 October 2026.
• AINIA, Meat product names in the EU, accessed 26 October 2026.
• Brussels Signal, European Parliament backs stronger farmer protections, June 2026, accessed 26 October 2026.
• Green Queen, EU bans 31 meat names on plant-based products, accessed 26 October 2026.
• GFI Europe, Timeline: EU labelling restrictions for plant-based foods, accessed 26 October 2026.