{"id":617713,"date":"2025-12-07T10:18:55","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T10:18:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/617713\/"},"modified":"2025-12-07T10:18:55","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T10:18:55","slug":"dont-let-eu-ban-lindas-vegetarian-sausage-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/617713\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t let EU ban Linda\u2019s vegetarian \u2018sausage\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 1991 Linda McCartney launched her vegetarian sausage, a product that her eponymous business still sells today. However, its right to use the word \u201csausage\u201d is under threat.<\/p>\n

Sir Paul McCartney\u2019s late wife, who died of breast cancer in 1998, was a vocal vegetarian, and her family has joined a campaign to protect the right to use the word \u201csausage\u201d, as well as \u201cburger\u201d, even if the foods do not contain any meat.<\/p>\n

The European Union is proposing to ban the use of the two words if a food is plant-based. A decision could be made as early as Wednesday, prompting a cross-party group of MPs and the former Beatle to speak out.<\/p>\n

Last night McCartney, 83, who has been a vegetarian since 1975, said: \u201cTo stipulate that burgers and sausages are \u2018plant-based\u2019, \u2018vegetarian\u2019 or \u2018vegan\u2019 should be enough for sensible people to understand what they are eating. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis also encourages attitudes essential to our health and that of the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Linda McCartney Foods offers products such as \u201cmozzarella burgers\u201d, \u201cvegetarian sausages\u201d and \u201cvegan Lincolnshire sausages\u201d. <\/p>\n

\"Product<\/p>\n

In 2009, McCartney and his two daughters with Linda \u2014 Mary and Stella \u2014 launched the Meat-Free Monday campaign, encouraging people to skip eating meat at least one day a week to help animals, people and the planet. <\/p>\n

Last night eight MPs, including Jeremy Corbyn, sent a letter urging European commissioners to drop the proposed restrictions because the \u201cban could increase confusion\u201d and \u201cundermine economic growth, sustainability goals, and the EU\u2019s own simplification agenda\u201d.<\/p>\n

The letter, seen by The Sunday Times, said: \u201cWe write as members of the UK parliament to express our deep concern regarding the proposed ban on everyday, well-understood food terms such as \u2018burger\u2019, \u2018sausage\u2019 and similar descriptions, when used for plant-based products \u2026 Research consistently shows that consumers intentionally choose plant-based alternatives and do not confuse them with animal meat.\u201d<\/p>\n

The letter, which as well as Corbyn is signed by Green Party MP Sian Berry, also states that it is supported by the McCartney family.<\/p>\n

\"Linda<\/p>\n

The McCartneys in 1973<\/p>\n

MICHAEL PUTLAND\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n

The European parliament voted for the ban in October with 355 votes in favour and 247 against, after lobbying by the livestock industry.<\/p>\n

C\u00e9line Imart, a centre-right MEP and cereal farmer from northwest France, drafted an amendment to legislation to strengthen the position of farmers in the food supply chain. \u201cA steak, an escalope or a sausage are products from our livestock, not laboratory art nor plant products,\u201d she said. \u201cThere is a need for transparency and clarity for the consumer, and recognition for the work of our farmers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The European Commission and the governments of the 27 member states will now decide whether it becomes law. If it does, the UK government believes it will also apply to British businesses \u2014 despite Brexit. <\/p>\n

The MPs\u2019 letter says: \u201cAlthough the United Kingdom is no longer a member of the European Union, our markets, companies, consumers and regulatory conversations remain closely intertwined. Decisions taken at an EU level continue to influence global norms, international trade and the direction of sustainable food innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Paul<\/p>\n

The couple at the Grammy awards in 1971, when McCartney accepted the prize for Let It Be<\/p>\n

GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n

The letter goes on to cite research that states consumers across Europe understand plant-based terminology and \u201coverwhelmingly understand and support current naming conventions\u201d such as \u201cveggie burger\u201d.<\/p>\n

They argue that banning the words risks confusing shoppers, imposing extra costs on producers, reducing competitiveness and hampering the progress of alternative protein as a tool in cutting carbon emissions.<\/p>\n

Jenny Canham, of the Vegetarian Society, said: \u201cTerms like \u2018burger\u2019 and \u2018sausage\u2019 have been used for plant-based foods for decades, and consumers clearly understand them. These familiar terms let shoppers know exactly what products they\u2019re buying and how to cook and enjoy them. They\u2019re not misleading.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt a time when ethical and sustainable food choices matter more than ever, this is the opposite of what we should be doing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In 1991 Linda McCartney launched her vegetarian sausage, a product that her eponymous business still sells today. However,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":616791,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5174],"tags":[2000,299,5187],"class_list":{"0":"post-617713","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-eu","8":"tag-eu","9":"tag-europe","10":"tag-european"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115677782768474241","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=617713"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617713\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/616791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=617713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=617713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=617713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}