The European Parliament (EP) has voted to ban the use of words like “burger” or “steak” to describe its plant-based variants.

The 355-247 majority vote was seen as a victory for livestock farmers, who said the labels threatened their industries and livelihoods.

However, a total ban is not imminent or even certain, as the proposal needs the support of the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, as well as the governments of the 27 member states to become law.

The plant-based food industry has grown exponentially in recent years, with more and more people choosing a meat-free lifestyle.

“Let’s tell the truth,” French parliamentarian Celine Imart, who is leading the initiative, was quoted as saying by Agence France-Presse.

A member of the European Parliament’s conservative EPP group said using meat labels to market plant-based products “would mislead consumers”.

Under the proposal, other labels such as “egg yolk,” “egg white” and “pork ribs” would be limited to products containing meat.

The EU already defines dairy products as products derived from “normal breast secretions”. This includes products such as milk, yogurt and cheese.

For example, oat milk is called oat drink on European shelves.

Greens and liberal lawmakers criticized the now-approved European Parliament text as “useless”.

“While the world is burning, the European People’s Party has nothing better to do this week than engage us all in a debate about sausages and schnitzel,” DW quoted Anna Cavazzini of the German Greens as saying.

Environmentalists said the ban would hinder sustainable development.

The proposal has also drawn criticism from leading voices in Germany’s food industry – the EU’s largest market for plant-based products, according to one agency. Report by the European Quality Food Institute.

Major German supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl, fast food chain Burger King and sausage maker Rügenwalder Mühle Oppose the proposal in a joint open letter.

They said banning “familiar terms” would make it “more difficult for consumers to make informed decisions”.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz – whose party is a leading member of the European People’s Party – fully supports the ban. “A sausage is a sausage. A sausage is not vegetarian,” he said recently.

The French meat industry also strongly supports the idea.

As early as 2020, a similar proposal was proposed but failed to pass.