“It wouldn't help anyone.” Big food producers appeal to Brussels ahead of 'sausage' and 'burger' talks

More than ten companies in the food industry have asked the European Commission not to ban the use of the terms “sausage” and “burger” for products that do not contain meat, writes The Guardian.

Companies including Linda McCarney Foods, Quorn and THIS have signed a joint letter calling on commissioners to “get sensible” before debating the proposed ban, which they say would create “unnecessary confusion” for customers “without helping anyone”.

A ban would mean, for example, that bean burgers sold in Europe would have to be rebranded as 'discs', for example, while Glamorgan sausages, a Welsh breakfast staple made from cheese and leeks, would likely become Glamorgan 'tubes'.

The letter, organized by the Vegetarian Society and sent to representatives of the European Commission, European Parliament and Council of the European Union, follows a similar request in December from Paul McCartney and eight MEPs, in which the musician said labeling vegetarian sausages as such “should be enough for sensible people to understand what they are eating”.

“Consumers are smart! They don't need labels”

Supermarkets Aldi and Lidl, based in Germany, Europe's biggest plant-based market, also oppose the proposed ban.

Paul Garner, commercial director of Suma Wholefoods, one of the oldest plant-based food manufacturers, said: “We've been supporting vegetarian and plant-based foods since 1977 and have seen many innovations – and the inevitable backlash that followed.

“Here's the thing: Consumers are smart! They don't need labels controlling words like 'burger' or 'sausage' to know what they're buying.” Clear ingredient lists and a little common sense are enough. Banning familiar terms only makes life harder for buyers and smaller producers without helping anyone,” he added, according to The Guardian.

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