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EU ban: How Leipzig's restaurateurs react to the sausage dilemma
Leipzig restaurateurs show a lack of understanding for the EU decision on meat substitute products. Discussion about risks of confusion and creative names.
EU ban: How Leipzig's restaurateurs react to the sausage dilemma
On October 8, 2025, the EU Parliament passed the controversial decision that vegan and vegetarian products are no longer allowed to have names such as “schnitzel”, “burger” or “sausage”. This ban aims to minimize the risk of confusion with genuine meat products. However, the decision still needs to be approved by member states, which has sparked intense debate about the impact of the law, particularly in the catering sector and among consumers. That's what she reports LVZ.
The Leipzig catering industry is surprised by the decision. Kristoff Liebers, founder of “Vleischerei”, describes the discussion about the ban as exaggerated. His “Vleischerei” uses creative terms such as “curry sausage” and “steak” for its plant-based products. Liebers warns that the real threat to smaller companies comes from large corporations rather than the names they use for their products.
Reactions from the catering industry
Raphael Konieczny from “Vleischerei” sees the debate as outdated. Andreas Grollmann from “Milu vegan” also expresses concerns and warns of the possible confusion that new names could create. Tom Räntzsch, owner of “Bibabo”, questions the usefulness of the law and emphasizes that his company already offers meat substitute products under alternative names.
Critics of the new law believe that it could not only cause confusion but also impose significant costs on manufacturers. There are also criticisms that the topic has little priority compared to more pressing challenges in the food industry. Cartoons and jokes about the name ban are already circulating on social media.
Focus on consumer protection
The debate is hotly debated not only in the catering industry, but also among consumer advocates. They vehemently oppose a ban on terms such as “soy schnitzel”. Chris Methmann from Foodwatch criticizes the ban as “lobbyism in the service of the meat industry” and emphasizes that consumers can usually clearly distinguish between vegan and meat-containing products.
In addition, the European consumer organization BEUC supports the demands of consumer advocates and states that the majority of consumers are not confused by the terms. Rather, they are calling for clear labels instead of banning names in order to increase transparency.
The data situation shows that the per capita consumption of meat in Germany was 53.2 kg in 2024, while the production of meat-free alternatives reached 126,500 tons, an increase of 4.0% compared to the previous year. These figures illustrate the growing interest in plant-based diets, a concern that is also addressed in the questions to the EU Commission. Issues such as the expansion of plant-based products in supermarkets and the possibility of an EU-wide labeling program are under discussion and have been formulated in a letter to the Commission published in European Parliament was submitted.