# Do you think names like "vegan sausage" are confusing? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 29, 2016, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834 "2016-12-29T07:38:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/1 "2016-12-29T07:38:20Z")
I’ve had [this story](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/15a205b698674299b0da0bfc79afe3c0/german-minister-ban-names-such-vegetarian-schnitzel) in an active tab all day now, trying to figure out if this was something worth posting and talking about, and I finally decided that I was curious enough to just post it, ask the questions and see what others think.[ > [@](#): > > Germany’s agriculture minister has leapt to the defense of meat lovers, calling for a ban on names such as “vegetarian schnitzel” for meat-substitute products, which he said were misleading consumers. > > Among the “wurst” offenders is “vegan curry sausage,” a meat-free take on a heavily spiced pork dish born of post-World War II necessity and now considered a delicacy in Berlin — though largely unknown outside Germany. > > “These terms are completely misleading and unsettle consumers,” Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt told Germany’s Bild daily. > > “I favor them being banned in the interest of clear consumer labeling,” he was quoted as saying. > [@](#): > > “He considers names such as vegan curry sausage and so forth to be misleading to consumers,” Jens Urban told reporters. “Clarity and truth, transparency for consumers, those are the measures that should apply for the labeling of all products, always and forever.” ]([http://bigstory.ap.org/article/15a205b698674299b0da0bfc79afe3c0/german-minister-ban-names-such-vegetarian-schnitzel](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/15a205b698674299b0da0bfc79afe3c0/german-minister-ban-names-such-vegetarian-schnitzel)) First let me say that I realize that there is the possibility that in German, the phrases could be significantly different than in English so if anyone can chime in on that aspect, I’d appreciate the perspective. FWIW, I’m a vegetarian, so this personally interesting to me and I find such phrases enormously helpful in buying and ordering food. I can’t see at all that the adjective “vegetarian” (or “vegan”) could somehow confuse or mislead, since it seems designed to inform by modifying/clarifying the noun which follows it. But that’s why I asked about German grammar; I know that other languages do not modify things the way that English does. Since most of us here are native English speakers, I’m now curious to know if any Doper has ever felt that similar phrases were confusing or misleading. Is the phrase “vegetarian hot dog” or “vegan chicken curry” unclear, confusing or misleading? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/2 "2016-12-29T07:45:00Z")
I don’t see any case for banning the name ‘sausage’ in the description of something that resembles a sausage. And if we’re going to ban ‘vegetarian hot dog’ on the grounds that it is misleading, then we also need to ban the term ‘hot dog’ for the non-vegetarian counterpart, unless it is actually made of dogs. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/3 "2016-12-29T07:51:56Z")
I forgot to include this bit in the OP: > [@](#): > > Asked whether the measures could also affect beefsteak tomatoes, Urban said that the ministry wasn’t aware of any “consumer confusion” about such products. ---
**Author:** ![VanillaGorilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@VanillaGorilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VanillaGorilla)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/4 "2016-12-29T07:52:33Z")
Not the least bit confusing. And from what I remember from my german lessons 100 years (well, almost) ago, it shouldn’t be any more confusing in that language. Someone correct me if I am wrong. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/5 "2016-12-29T08:09:03Z")
Nothing confusing. Just stop reading after “vegan” and move on to something else. ---
**Author:** ![Uniqueorn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uniqueorn/32/2807_2.png) [@Uniqueorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniqueorn)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/6 "2016-12-29T09:50:25Z")
Nothing confusing about it in German. The guy is a lobbyist and an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/7 "2016-12-29T10:00:25Z")
Not confusing and may have some slight benefit to us omnivores trying to eat a little healthier. If some of the vegan substitutes I’ve had are any guide, without a descriptive I would have had no idea what they were trying to copy. They were fine and I enjoyed them but the meat they hoped to mimic would have been lost. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/8 "2016-12-29T12:41:28Z")
Not confusing, except it would be _veganwurst_, which could be read as Worst Vegan. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/9 "2016-12-29T12:45:13Z")
Agreeing with all the posts so far, including the two about hot dogs and beefsteak tomatoes. It sounds to me like the person is saying ‘vegetarians are jerkfaces and I’m going to make life harder for them for no apparent reason’. Maybe it’s politics and something led up to it. Maybe it’s a food labeling thing and people really are confused…but who? Meat eaters that accidentally eat soy/vegetables are going to survive. OTOH, I see this in the article “Schmidt has already contacted the European Union’s executive branch to discuss extending rules that govern the use of the terms “milk” and “cheese” to apply to meat as well” Have they banned terms like soy milk and almond milk? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/10 "2016-12-29T13:00:00Z")
“Vegan sausage” is not confusing, just disgusting. Not as bad as “tofurkey” though. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/11 "2016-12-29T13:21:47Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Agreeing with all the posts so far, including the two about hot dogs and beefsteak tomatoes. It sounds to me like the person is saying ‘vegetarians are jerkfaces and I’m going to make life harder for them for no apparent reason’. Maybe it’s politics and something led up to it. Maybe it’s a food labeling thing and people really are confused…but who? Meat eaters that accidentally eat soy/vegetables are going to survive. It seems to me it’s more like this guy decided not enough people were paying attention to him, so he had to say something to remedy that. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/12 "2016-12-29T13:27:19Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > “Vegan sausage” is not confusing, just disgusting. It’s interesting, because to me, ‘sausage’ is the shape, not so much the content - ‘a sausage’ is a cylindrical presentation of something - usually meat-based, but ‘vegetarian sausage’ is just an obvious description of something sausage-shaped. but not meat-based. I wonder if the perception is different for those to whom ‘sausage’ means the preparation of ground meat that can be stuffed into casings, but can also be fried as patties. > [@](#): > > Not as bad as “tofurkey” though. True, but then in the carnivore world, we’ve got ‘Turducken’ - who wants to eat something that has a name beginning with ‘turd’? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/13 "2016-12-29T13:28:34Z")
😕 What do vegan sausages use for casing? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/14 "2016-12-29T13:49:00Z")
Some sort of processed vegetable protein I think. The casings on Quorn sausages are very similar to animal-based collagen casings. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/15 "2016-12-29T13:54:22Z")
Not labeling non-meat sausage as vegan sausage is what would be confusing and misleading. Whatta nim-cow-poop! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/16 "2016-12-29T13:54:40Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > 😕 What do vegan sausages use for casing? > [@Mangetout](#): > > Some sort of processed vegetable protein I think. The casings on Quorn sausages are very similar to animal-based collagen casings. [Here’s an example.](http://www.sausagemaking.org/acatalog/Vegetarian__Vegan_Edible_Sausage_Casing_.html) > [@](#): > > The Nutra® casing is made entirely from plant based non-allergenic ingredients and contains no Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s). Interesting that the ingredients are not identified. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/17 "2016-12-29T14:04:15Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Agreeing with all the posts so far, including the two about hot dogs and beefsteak tomatoes. It sounds to me like the person is saying ‘vegetarians are jerkfaces and I’m going to make life harder for them for no apparent reason’. Maybe it’s politics and something led up to it. Maybe it’s a food labeling thing and people really are confused…but who? Meat eaters that accidentally eat soy/vegetables are going to survive. I’d bet you a nickel that this guy is the sort of nitwit who spent his whole life making the lame old “jumbo shrimp is an oxymoron, har har” joke. It sounds like a solution in search of a problem to me. I’ve never been confused by “vegetarian sausage” or the like. In fact, it’s the perfect description: textured vegetable protein and seasonings formed into a cylinder. “Seasoned Soy Protein Extruded Food Product” might be a more accurate description, but it doesn’t make for snappy packaging the way “Veggie Links” does. The only time I could see it being a problem is for someone with food allergies, though the people I know with food allergies are already in the habit of reading labels very very carefully and know that meat substitutes are liable to contain soy, nuts, mushrooms etc. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/18 "2016-12-29T14:05:26Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Interesting that the ingredients are not identified. 😃 That usually means it comes from something you wouldn’t normally consider food - such as wood waste or fruit pomace ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/19 "2016-12-29T14:08:22Z")
Also, I’d really enjoy a pork curry sausage right about now. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/20 "2016-12-29T14:12:57Z")
I don’t find the terms confusing, but I’m also a vegetarian and have been accustomed to seeing and eating meat substitutes for about 25 years. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834.md?page=2)