{"id":50309,"date":"2021-02-10T09:30:52","date_gmt":"2021-02-10T09:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/?p=50309"},"modified":"2023-12-13T08:56:35","modified_gmt":"2023-12-13T08:56:35","slug":"vegan-food-labelling-requirements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/vegan-food-labelling-requirements\/","title":{"rendered":"Vegan Food Products: What are the Labelling Requirements?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Consumer demand for vegan alternatives continues to rise year on year as Brits embrace a more plant-based lifestyle; over 700,000 people signed up for Veganuary in 2023<\/a>. An increase in demand has seen the manufacturing of \u2018vegan\u2019 and \u2018plant-based\u2019 food products grow. Individuals who practice a vegan diet do not consume animals, animal products, by-products or derivatives of animals, often for ethical and environmental reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those with allergies, such as milk and egg allergies, may consider vegan products to be free from allergens, but this is not always the case. This article will cover the labelling requirements for \u2018vegan\u2019 products, the difference between vegan and plant-based, and how vegan labelling requirements impact allergy sufferers.<\/p>\n\n\n

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What are the Vegan Labelling Requirements?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Transitioning to veganism can at first seem like an impossible task when it comes to navigating vegan food labels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Voluntary claims on packaging such as \u2018suitable for vegans\u2019 and \u2018vegetarian\u2019 are covered by Food Information for Consumers <\/strong>(Regulation EU No 1169\/2011<\/strong> written into The Food Information Regulations 2014<\/strong>) and may be perceived by consumers in the same way that allergen food safety advice is. This perception could potentially be fatal to someone with a severe allergy. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Vegan foods do not have a legal UK or EU definition regarding what they can and cannot contain.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

UK law prevents a consumer from being misled in The Food Information Regulations 2014 <\/strong>and Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. <\/strong>As vegans do not typically consume foods containing animal products, for example, meat, fish, seafood, eggs, milk and honey, it can be assumed that through these regulations, vegan products should also be free from animal products.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This lack of definition allows food producers to manufacture vegan products on the same line as a non-vegan product which could result in a cross-contact<\/a>. For example, the phrase \u2018may contain milk and eggs\u2019 is permitted on vegan food labels to indicate to consumers there are potential cross-contacts from the production process. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Some supermarket retailers have stricter standards and do not permit vegan products to contain a cross-contact of non-vegan ingredients. To reduce confusion, and the expectation of vegan products to be free from animal product cross-contacts, some manufacturers have preferred to use the term \u2018plant-based\u2019. Plant-based, as it sounds, suggests to the consumer that the product mostly or entirely contains plant foods without compromising the term vegan or the expectations of those following a vegan diet.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vegan Trademark Symbols<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are several vegan trademark symbols used in the UK, and each has different standards the food producer must meet. Food producers displaying these logos have to go through the certification process, and producers cannot use them on a self-certification basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vegan Society<\/h4>\n\n\n
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The Vegan Trademark symbol is an international vegan standard<\/a> overseen by the Vegan Society. The Vegan Society also allows restaurants to register for their trademark for vegan-specific dishes. For a food producer to display the Vegan Society\u2019s Trademark, the products:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Must<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n