Everyone’s Favourite Beatle Weighs In On EU ‘Veggie Burger’ Labelling Ban

The Beatles star Sir Paul McCartney has joined eight UK politicians to call on the EU to drop its proposed ban on the use of meat-like terms on plant-based products.

Sir Paul McCartney has become the latest public figure to voice their opposition to a proposal that would prohibit companies from using terms like ‘veggie burger’ in Europe.

The former Beatle and his family have supported the call by eight UK MPs, who have urged the European Commission to reject the proposal in an open letter.

In October, the European Parliament voted 355–247 to ban denominations such as ‘burger’, ‘sausage’ and ‘steak’ from being used to market plant-based alternatives. The proposal then moved forward towards interinstitutional negotiations between the EU Commission, Council and Parliament, with a decision set to be announced later this week.

Despite exiting the bloc in 2020, the move will have implications for the UK as well, thanks to a recently signed trade agreement. One of the main reasons cited by supporters of the ban is that labelling meat-free products the same way as meat would confuse citizens.

But the letter, whose signatories include cross-party MPs like Jeremy Corbyn, Siân Berry, Kerry McCarthy, and Irene Campbell, cites seven studies that show this isn’t the case. And now, a YouGov survey of over 2,100 Brits finds that 92% of adults have never accidentally bought a vegan sausage or burger believing it contained meat, or can’t recall doing so.

“To stipulate that burgers and sausages are ‘plant-based’, ‘vegetarian’ or ‘vegan’ should be enough for sensible people to understand what they are eating. This also encourages attitudes, which are essential to our health and that of the planet,” said McCartney.

British MPs join EU policymakers in criticism of proposed ban

The EU proposal was brought by French lawmaker Céline Imart, a Parliamentary rapporteur, in a review of the Common Market Organisation (CMO) regulation in July. It seeks to ban a range of animal-free meat labels, including ‘plant-based burger’, ‘vegan bacon’, and ‘cell-cultured steak’.

It has faced backlash from consumers, the food industry, and European policymakers alike. Anna Strolenberg, a member of Dutch party Volt, had slammed the proposal as a “waste of everybody’s time”.

“We could have spent this time debating the fact that our planet is on fire, the fact that we have a brutal war on our borders, and that our societies are getting angrier and more divided. And instead, when Europeans look at their leaders, what do they see? They see us discussing burgers,” she said before the vote.

Even Manfred Weber, the head of the centre-right EPP party (which Imart belongs to), called the ban unnecessary, telling reporters: “People are not stupid, consumers are not stupid when they go to the supermarket and buy their products.”

Now, British MPs have hopped on this bandwagon too. “Although the UK is no longer a member of the EU, our markets, companies, consumers, and regulatory conversations remain closely intertwined,” their letter reads.

“Decisions taken at EU level continue to influence global norms, international trade, and the direction of sustainable food innovation. We urge you not to adopt these restrictions, as we are deeply concerned about the significant global impact they could have.

“The evidence is clear: existing legislation already protects consumers; consumers themselves overwhelmingly understand and support current naming conventions; and new restrictions would undermine economic growth, sustainability goals, and the EU’s own simplification agenda.”

Why the EU should reject a ‘veggie burger’ ban

The open letter points out that the European Court of Justice already has rules that mandate ingredient transparency and ensure consumer protection, citing its advocate-general’s 2024 opinion warning that a ban could create more confusion for consumers.

It would also run counter to the EU’s commitments on simplification and competitiveness, creating administrative burdens, imposing additional costs on companies who would be forced to redesign their packaging, and generating inconsistencies across languages and member states.

All this is even more problematic, the letter says, when you consider that Europe is the world’s largest market for plant-based meat, commanding a 54% share of this category’s $6.1B in global sales last year.

European consumers are more likely to be following a flexitarian diet or reducing meat consumption than their counterparts in other regions, and companies and researchers in the alternative protein sector benefit from public funding in the EU more than anywhere else.

The EU’s livestock sector accounts for 84% of its agricultural emissions, despite animal proteins only supplying 35% of its calories and 65% of its protein intake. Alternative proteins like plant-based meat, on the other hand, drastically lower the emissions, water and land use impacts of the food system.

The European Environment Agency itself has indicated that these foods will be inevitable to ensure food security in the EU by 2050. And the UK’s Climate Change Committee has called on the country to halve its meat and dairy consumption by 2050 to help meet national climate targets, advocating for plant-based alternatives as ideal replacements.

“Increasing plant-based choices benefits people, animals, and the planet. Discouraging these options makes little sense,” said Campbell, a Scottish member of the UK’s Labour Party. “I urge the European Commission to consider the wider impact of this proposal and to prioritise a future that supports plant-based choices rather than blocking them.”

The McCartneys have long championed meat-free eating

The McCartneys’ support of the letter will likely boost awareness and public opposition to the ban, and it comes as no surprise. Sir Paul gave up meat in 1975 with his late wife, with whom he founded the eponymous Linda McCartney brand of meat-free products in 1991.

Moreover, he launched the Meat Free Monday campaign in 2009 with his daughters, the photographer Mary and designer Stella, who have both been vegetarians since childhood.

The former Beatles member is among the staunchest supporters of vegan and vegetarian diets, having called for an end to mandatory meat in English schools and writing a letter to the COP30 president to urge the climate summit to adopt a meat-free vegan menu.

The open letter is supported by The Vegetarian Society. “Terms like ‘burger’ and ‘sausage’ have been used for plant-based foods for decades, and consumers clearly understand them. These familiar words help shoppers know exactly what they’re buying,” said Jenny Canham, the organisation’s public affairs lead.

“Restricting these terms in the EU could cause confusion globally, slow sustainable food markets, and make plant-based eating less accessible. At a time when ethical and sustainable choices matter more than ever, this is precisely the wrong direction,” she added.

In their letter, the MPs make a nod to “unequivocal” evidence that current EU law provides full consumer protection, that citizens aren’t overwhelmed by current naming systems, and that the restrictions would damage competitiveness, innovation and climate progress.

“Clear labelling, not unnecessary terminology bans, is the best approach for consumers, producers, and the future of sustainable European food systems,” they write. “We therefore urge the Commission to reject these restrictions and maintain the current, proportionate, effective regulatory framework, which we firmly believe sets the global standard for best practice.”