The Reading / Listening - Veggie Burgers - Level 5

The European Union has stated that companies can give meat-like names to their vegetarian products even though they contain no meat. The EU debated whether or not a veggie burger is a burger. Europe's largest farming association wanted to ban the use of names like burger, sausage and steak in vegetable-based food. It said this naming was "misleading and unfair marketing" that damaged farmers and meat companies. A spokesperson said: "We simply call for the work of millions of European farmers and livestock sector workers to be acknowledged and respected."

The European Consumer Organization hailed the "common sense" behind the veggie burgers decision. It said: "Consumers are in no way confused by a soy steak or chick pea-based sausage, so long as it is clearly labelled as vegetarian or vegan. Terms like "burger" and "steak" for plant-based foods help consumers understand how to integrate them into their meals." Greenpeace said it wondered why livestock farmers were confused by the name veggie burger. It tweeted: "If they're confused by the word 'veggie burger,' what do they think a 'hot dog' is?"

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Veggie Burgers - Level 4 or  Veggie Burgers - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.npr.org/2020/10/23/927278172/veggie-burgers-can-be-called-burgers-european-parliament-says
  • https://news.sky.com/story/meatless-plant-based-products-can-still-be-called-burgers-and-sausages-eu-rules-12112315
  • https://www.thehour.com/business/article/Veggie-burgers-are-still-burgers-EU-lawmakers-15669755.php


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. give meat-like names to their
  2. even though they contain
  3. Europe's largest farming
  4. ban the use
  5. misleading and
  6. the work of millions
  7. livestock sector
  8. acknowledged and
  1. association
  2. of European farmers
  3. respected
  4. of names like burger
  5. workers
  6. unfair marketing
  7. vegetarian products
  8. no meat

Paragraph 2

  1. common
  2. Consumers are in no
  3. it is clearly labelled
  4. plant-
  5. integrate them
  6. Greenpeace said it wondered
  7. livestock
  8. they're confused by the
  1. why
  2. as vegetarian
  3. sense
  4. word 'veggie burger'
  5. way confused
  6. farmers
  7. based foods
  8. into their meals

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The European Union (1) ___________________ companies can give meat-like names to their vegetarian products even though they (2) ___________________. The EU debated whether or not a veggie burger is a burger. Europe's (3) ___________________ wanted to ban the use of names like burger, sausage and steak in vegetable-based food. It said (4) ___________________ "misleading and unfair marketing" that damaged farmers and meat companies. A spokesperson said: "We (5) ___________________ the work of millions of European farmers and livestock (6) ___________________ be acknowledged and respected."

The European Consumer Organization hailed (7) ___________________ behind the veggie burgers decision. It said: "Consumers are in no (8) ___________________ a soy steak or chick pea-based sausage, so long as (9) ___________________ labelled as vegetarian or vegan. Terms like "burger" and "steak" for plant-based foods help consumers understand (10) ___________________ them into their meals." Greenpeace said it wondered why livestock farmers (11) ___________________ the name veggie burger. It tweeted: "If they're confused by the word 'veggie burger,' what do they think a (12) ___________________?"

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheEuropeanUnionhasstatedthatcompaniescangivemeat-likenam
estotheirvegetarianproductseventhoughtheycontainnomeat.TheEU
debatedwhetherornotaveggieburgerisaburger.Europe'slargestfarm
ingassociationwantedtobantheuseofnameslikeburger,sausageands
teakinvegetable-basedfood.Itsaidthisnamingwas"misleadingandu
nfairmarketing"thatdamagedfarmersandmeatcompanies.Aspokesp
ersonsaid:"WesimplycallfortheworkofmillionsofEuropeanfarmersan
dlivestocksectorworkerstobeacknowledgedandrespected."TheEuro
peanConsumerOrganizationhailedthe"commonsense"behindtheve
ggieburgersdecision.Itsaid:"Consumersareinnowayconfusedbyaso
ysteakorchickpea-basedsausage,solongasitisclearlylabelledasvege
tarianorvegan.Termslike"burger"and"steak"forplant-basedfoodsh
elpconsumersunderstandhowtointegratethemintotheirmeals."Gree
npeacesaiditwonderedwhylivestockfarmerswereconfusedbythena
meveggieburger.Ittweeted:"Ifthey'reconfusedbytheword'veggiebu
rger,'whatdotheythinka'hotdog'is?"

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

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_____________________________________________________________________________

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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