This petition, an AR filter on Instagram, was created in response to a meme shared in 2017 by one of the followers of The Vegetarian Butcher, when the discussion around names for plant-based products was already a hot topic. “We wanted to make a live version of that existing meme using augmented reality,” says Hugo Verkuil, CEO of The Vegetarian Butcher. “This allows our followers to express themselves on this topic in a unique way. By raising our voice and showing the many faces of consumers who say they are not confused, we can show the European Parliament the very strong public support we are receiving and take a stand for sustainability.” Users of the Instagram filter were also asked to tag the European Parliament’s social account. A compilation of participants who have used the visual petition has been presented to the European Parliament in the week of the vote. The filter has already been used thousands of times from consumers across Europe – a clear statement that shows so many people are not in favour of the proposed ban.
 

Research findings show that meat-related terms provide important information for consumers when making purchasing decisions. It quickly tells them these plant-based products offer similar taste experiences and functionalities to their animal-based counterparts. Results from a recent study clearly show that the overwhelming majority of people do not have an issue with meat terms being used on plant-based products. Over 22,000 people living in the Netherlands took part in the survey by consumer platform Radar. More than 96 percent of the respondents said they understand the meat-related names for vegetarian products and don’t find them confusing. In fact, it’s quite the opposite: references to words such as "sausage" or "steak" are helpful to consumers and facilitate choice. The fact that these products do not contain any animal meat is what makes them attractive to many consumers.