Let It Stand: The Music Legend Urges EU to Scrap Ban on Vegetarian ‘Sausages’.

The famous musician has added his voice for the European Commission to dismiss a move to outlaw the use of terms such as “banger” and “patty” for meat-free alternatives.

A Divisive Decision

Sir Paul has teamed up with eight UK parliamentarians who have petitioned the European Commission, contending that a ban ratified in October by the European parliament would solve a nonexistent problem while impeding progress on environmental targets.

The new rules would spell the end for the use of labels such as cutlet, patty, banger or fillet when marketing products based on meat-free ingredients. Proposed replacements include the less mouth-watering “discs” or “tubes”.

“To stipulate that burgers and sausages are ‘plant-based’ should be enough for reasonable consumers to grasp what they are eating. This also encourages attitudes which are crucial to our health and that of the environment,” stated McCartney.

A Vocal Supporter

The musician is one of the world’s most visible advocates of a meat-free lifestyle. Alongside his wife Linda established the Linda McCartney meat-free food line in 1991, and he and their daughters Stella and Mary started the global “Meat Free Monday” campaign to inspire people to eat less meat.

These meat-free alternatives have been part of a global trend of rising demand in products to substitute for meat, even if financial backing has diminished since a boom during the global pandemic.

Industry Backlash

But as popularity has increased of plant-based products has come a counter-movement, especially from the lobbying agricultural and meat processing industries, which are concerned about the possible impact of reduced consumption on livelihoods.

The EU Parliament decided 355–247 to outlaw “meat-related” names from being used on plant-based products. As stated by media, Céline Imart, a member of the centre-right European People’s party, told the parliament: “It is my view that such names are products from our animal farms. Period. No laboratory substitutes, no vegan options.”

Wider Consequences

The letter signed by the McCartneys and the British MPs argued that the EU rules may pressure Britain into changes as well, because the markets and regulation are still so intertwined in spite of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

The EU has a well-known “protected designation of origin” system for stopping businesses from trading off the titles of products from specific places, such as sparkling wine from France, Greek olives or Italian cured ham. But the bid to curb the use of everyday language is far more contentious.

The Problem of Definitions

Many of the terms that would be proscribed have fluid interpretations. For instance, reference books define a sausage primarily in relation to meat but additionally as “an object resembling a sausage”. Even more problematically, the key meaning of “burger” is often given as a “flat round mass of ground meat or plants”.

The eight parliamentary supporters include ex- opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn and ex- environmental party leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay.