Paul McCartney joins campaign to stop officials from banning common food labels: 'We are deeply concerned'

A prominent member of music royalty is joining the campaign to stop the European Union from banning terms such as "veggie burger" on plant-based products.

None other than Sir Paul McCartney has entered the fray, signing a letter protesting the impending ban, as The Independent reported. "We urge you not to adopt these restrictions as we are deeply concerned about the significant global impact they could have," the letter read. Major politicians such as former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn teamed with McCartney to sign the letter.

This move came after European Members of Parliament voted to reserve names such as burgers and sausages for traditional meat products.

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

McCartney's commitment to this cause is no surprise. McCartney and his daughters, Mary and Stella, launched the Meat Free Monday campaign in 2009. Linda McCartney, his late wife, started a successful plant-based food brand in the 1990s featuring products that would be directly impacted such as veggie sausages and burgers.

Even though the United Kingdom isn't part of the EU, signers of the letter said the regions remained "closely intertwined."

"Decisions taken at EU level continue to influence global norms, international trade and the direction of sustainable food innovation," the letter noted. 

Jenny Canham, public affairs lead at the Vegetarian Society, bolstered the case by noting that brands such as Linda McCartney Foods feature Vegetarian Society-approved labels such as "vegan," "vegetarian," and "plant-based."

"Clear and honest labeling … is how we give people confidence in what they're buying, not unnecessary terminology bans," Canham argued. 

Indeed, academics in Europe recently disputed the notion that customers aren't informed enough to allow these labels to realistically mislead them.

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A ban on labeling, meanwhile, wouldn't be purely cosmetic. Signers of the letter argued it could raise producer costs by forcing changes to packaging, hinder the competitiveness of the products, and affect climate progress.

"Increasing plant-based choices benefits people, animals, and the planet, so discouraging these options makes little sense," Labour MP Irene Campbell said of the potential ban. The full context backs that assertion.

Meat production is a highly polluting industry, especially when compared to plant-based alternatives. The health benefits of plant-based diets have also come through clearly in numerous studies, which revealed positive outcomes such as a reduced chance of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

McCartney's prior activism for the vegetarian industry includes pushing for meat-free meals in England's schools and encouraging COP30 president André Corrêa do Lago to consider a fully meat-free menu at the conference.

While it's unclear how the proposed terminology ban will shake out and impact the U.K., it's clear that Paul McCartney is making his voice heard again with his advocacy for the plant-based food industry.

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