BRUSSELS -
The European Parliament does not decide and save the veggie burger.
None of the amendments which intended to limit the use of meat names to products of animal origin only were approved.
The status quo remains, with
the possibility of using terms such as mortadella, sausage or hamburger for products with wholly vegetable ingredients
.
After days of debate, the amendments closest to success remained three: a ban on the use of terms relating to cuts (steak) and preparations (burgers) for vegetable products, a ban with exceptions (burgers and sausages) or a ban with possible exceptions to be authorized by the Commission. In the end, none of the three reached a majority. Only the European Parliament had tried to introduce these provisions in the regulatory texts on the new Common Agricultural Policy. Neither the Commission nor the Council have done the same.