The European Parliament has decided: only meat from animals can be called “meat”

Brussels – The European Parliament has given its final approval to new rules aimed at establishing fair prices for agricultural products; introducing more transparent labelling and marketing standards; and creating a list of terms to be reserved exclusively for meat products. The provisional agreement must now be approved by the Council before the new rules can come into force. The text—which was approved today (16 June) by the European Parliament plenary with 560 votes in favour, 75 against, and 25 abstentions—aims to ensure that final food prices better reflect actual costs and have a direct impact on farmers’ incomes. To this end, Member States will be required to establish and publish online benchmarks for use in contractual agreements. 

Parliament emphasised that the regulation strengthens the role of producer organisations (POs) in market organisation and collective bargaining, as it gives POs the opportunity to negotiate directly with buyers and introduces rules preventing buyers from contacting individual producers by bypassing the POs. 

The new rules clarify the use of the terms “fair” and “just” in relation to agricultural products and set out the criteria for such labelling, for example, in cases where a product contributes to the development of rural communities or the promotion of farmers’ organisations. 

The text also defines meat as “edible parts of animals” and includes a list of terms reserved exclusively for meat products and not to be used for products that do not contain meat, such as lab-grown or cell-based products. These terms are: beef, veal, pork, poultry, chicken, turkey, duck, goose, lamb, mutton, sheep, goat, leg, fillet, sirloin, flank, loin, steak, ribs, shoulder, shank, chop, wing, breast, liver, leg, brisket, rib, T-bone, rump and belly. The aim is to improve transparency in the internal market and enable consumers to make informed choices. 

Finally, the legislation introduces new measures to support dairy farmers’ incomes, such as mandatory written contracts that include clauses exempting them from price indicators and clauses providing for price reviews. 

For the rapporteur Céline Imart, a French MEP from the European People’s Party (EPP), the agreement voted on today represents “a major victory for our farmers, strengthening their market position, legal protections, and cultural heritage.” Furthermore, “the agreement also represents an undeniable success for traditional livestock farming. Terms such as ‘steak’ and ‘liver’ are now strictly reserved for products of animal origin, to prevent unfair competition and reward unique agricultural know-how. Finally, the text explicitly prohibits products grown in laboratories or in vitro from using the term ‘meat’, marking a decisive step towards safeguarding our agricultural and food heritage.”