Concerns over the greenhouse gas emissions from livestock farms have in recent years driven more Europeans towards vegetarian and vegan diets, seen by advocates as a healthier alternative to regular meat consumption.
But many European livestock farmers -- and the politicians who represent them -- see plant-based foods that mimic meat as a threat, and one more challenge facing a troubled sector.
"It's not sausage, and it's not steak, plain and simple. Let's call a spade a spade," said Celine Imart, a right-wing EU lawmaker pushing for such terms to be banned for non-animal-based products.
"It's everyone's right to eat alternative proteins -- made from plants, laboratories, tofu or insect flour," said Imart, who besides her work in parliament farms cereals on the side.
"But calling it 'meat' is misleading for the consumer," she told AFP.
If Imart's proposal becomes law, a long list of labels including "sausage" and "burger" would be reserved for foods containing meat.
That prospect is still some way off.
Even if parliament backs the proposal, it still needs to be negotiated with the EU's 27 member states.
And the outcome of Wednesday's vote is uncertain, with the boss of Imart's centre-right EPP party, Manfred Weber, saying the ban was "not at all a priority".
"People are not stupid, consumers are not stupid when they go to the supermarket and buy their products," he told reporters.
- 'Stop talking about burgers' -
Green EU lawmaker Anna Strolenberg hit out at the proposal during a debate Tuesday in Strasbourg, charging that "the meat lobby is trying to weaken its innovative food competitors."
"If you want to help farmers, give them stronger contracts. Give them a better income. Let's help them innovate," she said.
"Stop talking about burgers and start working on the issues that matter."
The push has strong support however from France's livestock and meat industry body, Interbev.
"We refuse to let plant proteins appropriate meat names for marketing purposes," the group's head, Jean-Francois Guihard, told AFP, saying such terms "weaken recognition for raw, 100 percent natural products".
"Without clear safeguards, consumers risk being misled by products that are disguised as meat -- but are not meat."
- Hit to German economy -
It is not the first time veggie burgers have found themselves in the crosshairs of European lawmakers.
A similar call to ban such terms was rejected in 2020.
But the balance of power has shifted since the 2024 European elections saw big gains by right-wing parties that cultivate close ties to the farm sector.
Imart says the new proposal is "in line with European rules", which already restrict the use of traditional dairy terms from "milk" to "yogurt" and "cheese".
"It's only fair to do the same for meat," she said.
Nicolas Schweitzer, chief executive of the French brand La Vie, which supplies Burger King with plant-based "bacon", says the current labelling system "does not aim to harm farmers".
"It's just a simpler, more straightforward way for consumers to understand what is being offered, how they can cook it similarly, and for products to carry comparable nutritional information," he told AFP.
"These are products that tick all the boxes to address issues related to animal welfare, intensive farming and climate change," he said. "That should be encouraged, not made harder."
In Germany, the EU proposal has alarmed major supermarkets including Lidl and Aldi, which say banning "familiar terms" would make it "more difficult for consumers to make informed decisions".
They warned in a statement that as Europe's largest market for plant-based alternative products by far, Germany would be "particularly affected economically".
The debate is also stirring emotions in France, which passed a similar label ban in 2024 to appease angry farmers -- only for it to be overturned the following January in line with a ruling by the EU's top court.
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