What's in a name? The age-old question posed by William Shakespeare is now being put to the test in European grocery stores of all places.

What's happening?

As European academics Friederike Döbbe and Emilia Cederbe explained in the Conversation, a new battle is being waged to eliminate names like veggie burgers for food items. 

The change could be arriving soon in continental Europe and the United Kingdom after the EU parliament voted for it back in October, per the Guardian. The move could mean plant-based alternative products would have to abandon descriptors like burger or steak.  

One of the justifications for the move is to bolster traditional meat producers who could be vulnerable to these alternatives. That is understandable, if arguable, that that should be prioritized by the public sector.

A more debatable justification is supposed customer confusion over plant-based alternatives vis-à-vis their meat equivalents. That's where Döbbe and Cederbe zero in, arguing that the debate over terms like "veggie burger" and "tofu steak" underestimates consumer intelligence.

In fact, the duo pointed out that their research reveals that many consumers thoroughly scrutinize products for health and environmental impacts. The duo cited the severe backlash to a commercial by Swedish chicken producer Kronfågel that controversially framed the carbon footprint of eating chicken vs. beef.

If consumers were really so oblivious, would so many chime in with nuanced opinions about such a campaign? Döbbe and Cederbe argue no, and that these proactive steps might act as protectionism without a scientific basis.

A commenter on the Conversation agreed and stated, "I doubt whether … anyone is confused or misled by the name  'veggie burger.'"

Why is the battle over labeling plant-based alternatives important?

Döbbe and Cederbe noted that plant-based alternative sales in Europe are leveling off after a strong start. Meanwhile, the changes could impact supermarkets like Lidl that continue to push these meat alternatives to consumers. 

The measures would also incur costs on producers who'd need to rebrand their products to comply. Put together, it could halt momentum for plant-based products in Europe.

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The ripple effects of that would be bad for human health and that of the planet. There is a large amount of research linking plant-based diets to better health outcomes for consumers. Additionally, the meat industry is highly polluting and contributes to the dangerous warming of the planet.

What's being done about the battle over food labeling?

As it stands, the exact fate and timing of this naming ban are uncertain. For their part, consumers can make their own decisions about what they want to consume, regardless of the exact terminology at the store.

Readers on the Conversation went back and forth over the measures in a spirited debate.

"What a pile of hot air!" a user wrote. "The words 'steak', 'sausage', 'burger' are all just purely descriptive of shape, not what's in it." 

"Using the word sausage for a mix of highly processed foods in an artificial tube is a lie and a travesty," a reader fired back.

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