Shopping and labels
Why is it a plant “drink”, not “milk”? Can you still say “vegan burger”?
Short answer
In the EU, “milk”, “cheese”, “butter”, “yogurt” and “cream” are reserved for animal products – the EU Court of Justice confirmed this in 2017. “Burger” remains allowed for plant-based products, but from 2029 terms such as “steak” or “chicken” will not be.
The TofuTown ruling (C-422/16) held that a purely plant-based product cannot be called “milk” or “cheese”, even with wording indicating its plant origin. There is only a short EU list of exceptions for traditional names. That is why shops sell “oat drink” and “plant-based cheese alternative”.
Regulation (EU) 2026/1739 reserves “meat” and 31 other terms for meat products, including “steak”, “bacon”, “chicken”, “beef” and “breast”, also with respect to cell-cultured meat. It applies from 19 August 2029, and products labelled earlier may be sold until 19 August 2032 at the latest. “Burger”, “sausage” and “nuggets” remain allowed. Work on extending the list is ongoing, so check the current status.