BERLIN -- Germany's agriculture minister is calling for a ban on names such as "vegetarian schnitzel" for meat substitute products, which he argues are misleading.

Christian Schmidt told Wednesday's edition of the Bild daily that he doesn't want "these pseudo-meat dishes" to be treated as meat. He was quoted as saying: "These terms are completely misleading and unsettle consumers. I favour them being banned in the interest of clear consumer labeling."

Schmidt also reiterated a call for schools to serve pork. Asked whether it was right for them to leave pork off the menu out of consideration for Muslims, he said that "we should not restrict the choice for the majority of society for reasons of ease or cost."

He argued that growing cultural diversity should lead to more choice, not less.