In this file photo from Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015, a BurgerFi restaurant employee prepares to add cheese to a veggie burger as she grills an order at the Aventura, Fla., restaurant. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Plant-based products that do not contain meat can continue to be labeled “sausages” or “burgers,” European lawmakers said Friday, when they rejected a proposal back by the meat industry to ban the terms.
In votes on issues relating to agricultural products, the European Parliament said that so-called veggie burgers, soy steaks and vegan sausages can continue to be sold as such in restaurants and shops across the union.
Europe’s largest farmers' association, Copa-Cogeca, had supported a ban, arguing that labeling vegetarian substitutes with designations bringing meat to mind was misleading for consumers.
On the opposite side of the debate, a group of 13 organizations including Greenpeace and WWF urged lawmakers to reject the proposed amendments, arguing that a ban would have not only exposed the EU “to ridicule," but also damaged its environmental credibility.
They said promoting a shift toward more plant-based diet is in line with the EU Commission's ambition to tackle global warming. Losing the ability to use the terms steak or sausage might make those plant-based products more obscure for consumers.
After the vote, the European Consumer Organization, an umbrella group bringing together consumers' associations, praised the MEPs for their “common sense."
“Consumers are in no way confused by a soy steak or chickpea-based sausage, so long as it is clearly labeled as vegetarian or vegan," the group said in a statement. “Terms such as ‘burger’ or ‘steak’ on plant-based items simply make it much easier for consumers to know how to integrate these products within a meal."
Together with Greenpeace, the group regretted that lawmakers accepted further restrictions on the naming of alternative products containing no dairy. Terms like ‘almond milk’ and ‘soy yogurt’ are already banned in Europe after the bloc's top court ruled in 2017 that purely plant-based products can't be marketed using terms such as milk, butter or cheese, which are reserved for animal products.
Spotify’s CEO says that while he condemned podcaster Joe Rogan’s use of racial slurs, he doesn't believe that cutting ties with the popular personality is the answer.
The last trading day of January ended one of the most rocky months for the markets in nearly two years. Dan Russo, Portfolio Manager and Director of Research, at Potomac Fund Management explains what happened in January, and what to expect for February.
Just ahead of Google parent company Alphabet reporting its fourth quarter earnings, investors are keeping an eye on revenue from its cloud services, which has been a major area of development recently as well as its ad revenue. Adam Lampe, CEO and Co-Founder of Mint Wealth Management explains why the cloud may be the future for Alphabet.
Kristin Myers, Editor-in-Chief at The Balance, joined Cheddar News to preview the January jobs report, and to break down the racial disparity in employment numbers in the U.S.
The January jobs report saw really strong jobs numbers coming out of that well above what analysts expected. John Traynor, Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer at People's United Advisors explains what such a positive report could mean for the markets in both the long and short term and whether or not this could be a turning point for the labor market.
After weeks of bad news about Peloton, reports indicate that the at-home fitness giant might find itself getting acquired. Doug Astrop, managing partner at Exponential Investment Partners, joined Wake Up With Cheddar to discuss the possibility that Amazon, Nike, and Apple might be showing interest in buying the subscription-based business, whose shares have plummeted near 80 percent in the past year. "At some point everybody hits the limit on how many monthly fees they want to pay, how many subscriptions they want to have," said Astrop. "And you know, you've got Netflix, you got Amazon Prime, you got Spotify — I mean there's there's endless people who want you to pay a monthly fee. So, if you can be part of these bundles, it can really be advantageous for everybody."
With no end to inflation in sight, the Fed was likely on edge prior to awaiting the latest January jobs numbers, which are likely to be yet another issue on Fed Chair Powell's already over crowded plate. The jobs report also coming just days after America's national debt hit a huge milestone -- passing 30 trillion dollars for the first time ever. Kathryn Rooney Vera, Head of Research & Strategy at Bulltick explains the amount of pressure that fed is under as it tries to whip the economy back into shape.
Corporate earnings will continue to dominate the conversation in the business world next week, while a Big Oil hearing will discuss the role oil companies play in climate change and disinformation.
