Paul McCartney gets vocal on plant-based ‘sausage’ fight
The Beatles star and his late wife’s family have joined a campaign to protect the right to use the word ‘sausage’, as well as ‘burger’ for her plant-based creations.
In 1991 Linda McCartney launched her vegetarian sausage, a product her eponymous business still sells today. However, its right to use the word “sausage” is under threat.
Sir Paul McCartney, whose late wife died of breast cancer in 1998, and her family have joined a campaign to protect the right to use the word “sausage”, as well as “burger”, even if the foods do not contain any meat.
The European Union is proposing to ban the use of the 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.
On Saturday, McCartney, 83, a vegetarian since 1975, said: “To stipulate that burgers and sausages are ‘plant-based’, ‘vegetarian’ or ‘vegan’ should be enough for sensible people to understand what they are eating. This also encourages attitudes essential to our health and that of the planet.”
Linda McCartney Foods offers “mozzarella burgers”, “vegetarian sausages” and “vegan Lincolnshire sausages”.
In 2009, McCartney and his two daughters with Linda – Mary and Stella – launched Meat-Free Monday to encourage people to skip eating meat at least one day a week.
Eight MPs, including Jeremy Corbyn, sent a letter on Saturday night urging European commissioners to drop the proposed restrictions because the “ban could increase confusion” and “undermine economic growth, sustainability goals and the EU’s own simplification agenda”.
The letter, seen by The Sunday Times, said: “We write as members of the UK parliament to express our deep concern regarding the proposed ban on everyday, well-understood food terms such as ‘burger’, ‘sausage’ and similar descriptions, when used for plant-based products. Research consistently shows that consumers intentionally choose plant-based alternatives and do not confuse them with meat.”
The letter, which as well as Mr Corbyn is signed by Green Party MP Sian Berry, says it is supported by the McCartney family.
The European parliament voted for the ban in October, 355 votes to 247, after lobbying by the livestock industry.
The European Commission and the governments of the 27 member states will now decide if it becomes law. If it does, the UK government believes it will also apply to British businesses – despite Brexit.
The MPs 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.
The Vegetarian Society’s Jenny Canham said: “Terms like ‘burger’ and ‘sausage’ have been used for plant-based foods for decades, and consumers clearly understand them. At a time when ethical and sustainable food choices matter more than ever, this is the opposite of what we should be doing.”
The Times
