Shopping in a LIDL grocery discount supermarket in the meat aisle

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Retail & E-Commerce

European Private Label Sales Reach €340Bn as Retailers Cater to Consumer Lifestyle Changes

European private label sales reached a record €340 billion in 2023, according to data from the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA). Private label sales accounted for 54% of total market growth last year, and now make up 38.5% of the grocery market’s total value. The turnover of private label brands grew by 13% in 2023 — more than double the rate of manufacturers’ brand sales. Citing a a McKinsey report, vegan trademark V-Label argues that this is partially because supermarket brands are catering to consumer lifestyle changes. While the first wave of private label products mainly aimed to provide a budget option, the second wave involved launching product lines such as vegan, organic, and free from, along with premium ranges. By targeting health-conscious consumers, many …

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ProVeg Czechia

Julie Karabinová. © ProVeg Czechia

Interviews

ProVeg Czechia: “The Interest in V-Label is Unprecedented and Demand is Constantly Growing”

In 2021, the Czech Vegan Society became ProVeg Czechia, as interest in plant-based diets began to grow rapidly in the country. At the time, a quarter of Czechs were already reducing their meat consumption, with 6% avoiding meat altogether. Since then, the Czech plant-based market has only continued to grow, and ProVeg Czechia is now one of 11 ProVeg offices worldwide working to raise awareness of food system transformation. The organisation has been instrumental in bringing the internationally recognised vegan and vegetarian trademark V-Label to the country, along with helping to make plant-based foods more mainstream. Julie Karabinová joined ProVeg in 2021, working as V-Label certification manager for the nonfood section and New Food Forum co-organizer. We spoke to her to find out more about …

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V-Label FF event banner

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Fairs & Events

V-Label Announces Partnership with Free From Trade Fairs

V-Label, the world’s leading vegan and vegetarian trademark, announces a new partnership with Expo Business Communications, the organiser of the Free From Functional Food & Ingredients Expo. Companies whose vegan and vegetarian products are licenced by V-Label may now benefit from an attractive participation package for the upcoming fair in Amsterdam. The 11th edition of the Free From Food Expo will take place on 21-22 November 2023 in RAI Amsterdam. The event promises to be the most focused, dynamic, and exciting Free From Food edition yet providing insight into the most important food lifestyle trends as well as what will be on the shelves five years from now. “Because of the partnership we can offer V-Label licensees a very attractive participation package for the upcoming …

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Plant Based World Expo

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Fairs & Events

V-Label Invites Licensees to Feature in Pavilion at PBW Europe

V-Label, an internationally recognised symbol for labelling vegan and vegetarian products, has announced that there are a limited number of booths remaining in its pavilion at Plant Based World Expo Europe (PBW) later this year. The pavilion is exclusively for V-Label licensees, though those who are in the process of becoming licensed are also eligible. As part of the collaboration between V-Label and PBW, this year’s V-Label Awards will also be taking place at the event, and those with booths in the pavilion will receive free entry to the Awards for three of their products. According to V-Label, the pavilion will be a high-traffic area, so licensees will be able to gain significant exposure. V-Label’s participation in the show program should also bring increased attention. …

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International V-Label Awards

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Fairs & Events

International V-Label Awards Opens Applications in Partnership With PBWE Europe

The International V-Label Awards will return for the third time this year, celebrating positive impact in the plant-based industry. For this year’s event, V-Label has partnered with Plant Based World Expo Europe, the continent’s only fully plant-based B2B trade show. Applications are now open until the end of July. The expert-judged categories — slightly altered from last year — are Sustainability, Innovation, Marketing & Branding, and the Consumers’ Choice Award. Vegan food products, beverages, cosmetics, and non-food products are all eligible. The jury will include industry experts such as Vikas Garg of abillion and The Vegan Agency founder Paula Gonzalez Carracedo. Representatives of prominent plant-based organizations and media outlets, such as the ProVeg Incubator and vegconomist, will also be present. Innovative vegan products Last year’s …

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V Label Food Heroes

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People

V-Label’s Food Heroes 2023 Recognises 20 Pioneers of a Plant-Based, Cruelty-Free World

V-Label, the world’s leading vegan and vegetarian trademark, reveals its 2023 Food Heroes, celebrating 20 individuals spanning education, activism, research, technology, politics, and entrepreneurship, all working towards the common goal of transforming outdated food systems and changing the narrative around the possibilities of thriving without harming the planet. The food heroes recognised in the 2023 awards will be well-known to most of our readers, and are as follows: Tobias Leenaert: Author / Co-founder, Proveg David Yeung: Founder and CEO, Green Monday Ignacia Uribe: Founder, President & CEO, Vegetarianos Hoy Olaoluwa Fashola: Founder & CEO, Casa Vegan Zoltan Toth-Czifra: Founder & CEO, Real Deal Milk Deniz Ficicioglu: Co-founder & Co-CEO, BettaF!sh and Oceanfruit Niccolo Galizzi: Head of Product Development, Revo Foods Priyanka Srinivas: Founder & CEO, …

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Company News

V-Label Renews and Expands Strategic Partnership With FMCG Gurus

V-Label, the world’s leading vegan and vegetarian trademark, announces that the organization has renewed its partnership with UK-based consumer insight agency FMCG Gurus. As V-Label’s consumer insights research partner, FMCG Gurus provides market research and insight into consumer attitudes and behaviors across the food, beverage, and supplement markets worldwide. “As V-Label continues to grow, so does our need to better understand consumer behavior in new markets. We have partner organizations in many countries outside of Europe, such as Mexico, Columbia, and Argentina, and we are currently onboarding new partner organizations in Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brazil,” comments Martin Ranninger, V-Label International’s Co-Director on the expanded partnership. “It is a pleasure to be the official consumer insights partner for V-Label, supporting them to understand consumer attitudes and …

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Retail & E-Commerce

V-Label Launches Online Store, Allowing Consumers to Try Foods From Other Countries

International vegan trademark V-Label has launched an e-commerce store, which will begin with the introduction of the new V-Label Box. The box will contain a selection of products from various countries, allowing consumers to try foods that may not be available in their region. Several editions will be offered throughout the year, with each one supported by influencer marketing campaigns. Later in 2023, more options will be added to the online store, including clothing. “Our position is unique in the sense that we stand between the producers and consumers. Both producers and consumers may now benefit from the V-Label Box,” said Suzet Miedema, V-Label International’s Business Development Manager. “For businesses and brands that are not present in selected markets, they are able to introduce their …

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V-Label updated logos

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Facts & Figures

V-Label Reveals Updated Logos as Number of Certified Products Exceeds 50,000

 V-Label, the world’s leading vegan and vegetarian trademark, has unveiled its newly updated logos in response to continued global growth and expansion. The trademark originated in Europe, but now certifies over 50,000 products from more than 4,300 licensees globally. The new logos will make it easier to differentiate between vegan and vegetarian products, with the vegan logo retaining its yellow background and the vegetarian logo now featuring a green background. The text has also been updated to stand out more. Due to the large number of certified products, V-Label believes it could take up to two years for the changes to be reflected across all items. The organisation hopes the long transition period will prevent packaging with the old logo from being wasted. Vegan certification …

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international v-label awards 2022 Winners

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Fairs & Events

International V-Label Awards 2022 Winners Revealed

World-leading vegan & vegetarian trademark V-Label revealed the winners of this year’s International V-Label Awards at the Virtual Awards Ceremony held on November 3rd, coinciding with World Vegan Month. All entries were carefully reviewed by a jury panel consisting of media and industry experts and NGOs. The International V-Label Awards also include a public voting round to determine the Special Consumer’s Award and a Special Influencer’s Award, voted by 15 international vegan content creators.  Meet the winners of the International V-Label Awards 2022: Best Dairy Alternative: bettermoo(d)’s camembert and cream cheese range, Austria bettermoo(d) is a plant-based dairy brand that claims to have a matching taste profile with the best-tasting dairy in the world. To emulate the milk taste from the Alpine regions, the company has created a plant-based dairy-alternative …

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Market & Trends

European Survey Finds 19% of Consumers Will Eat More Plant-Based Foods Post-Covid

A survey of consumers in seven European countries, conducted by V-Label, has found that a growing number of respondents are looking to eat more plant-based foods post-Covid. Across all the countries surveyed — Denmark, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, England, and Poland — an average of 19% of consumers said they planned to change their diets to incorporate more plant-based foods. Denmark topped the list at 24%, while Poland had the lowest figure at 13%. Of these consumers, 46% and 41% planned to consume more milk and meat alternatives respectively, while 25% said they would eat more plant-based meals such as pizza. 63% listed health concerns as a motivation for change, and 57% mentioned environmental reasons. Plant-based and the pandemic At the height of the pandemic, …

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V Label

© V-Label

Fairs & Events

The International V-Label Awards 2022 Edition Now Open for Entries

In 2021, V-Label launched the International V-Label Awards, to celebrate the businesses creating plant-based products and to recognise those that are making a difference in terms of global sustainability. The second edition of the awards is now open for entries until the 30th of June. The 2021 winners, chosen from 577 entries from 36 countries, included Faux Gras and Those Vegan Cowboys both producing vegan food alternatives, and NUO which produces a novel leather alternative made from wood textile. Nine new categories The 2022 awards will take place with double the number of categories compared to last year – this year offers 18 different categories, including Best Meat or Dairy Alternative, Best Fish Alternative, Best Functional Food, Best Household Product, as well as categories encompassing …

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DESSERTO Adidas

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Leather Alternatives

Mexico’s DESSERTO Cactus Alt Leather Gets V-Label Certification, Launches Boxing Gloves with Adidas

DESSERTO, the biomaterial made from cactus from Mexico, has obtained the V-Label certification, the most internationally recognized mark for the labeling of vegan and vegetarian products and services. The alt leather brand has also announced a new line of boxing gloves made with Adidas.  The V-Label seal has become the most widely used vegan symbol worldwide with more than 40,000 certified vegan-friendly products. The certification guarantees that the product is totally free of ingredients of animal origin. DESSERTO has been proving the versatility of the biomaterial recently, collaborating with BMW and H&M amongst others, while also winning awards from PETA.  The certification coincides with the launch of the new Tilt 350 boxing gloves made with DESSERTO in partnership with multinational Adidas Boxing. The boxing glove …

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fauxgras GAIA

fauxgras ©GAIA

Fairs & Events

International V-Label Awards 2021 Winners Revealed

World-leading vegan & vegetarian trademark V-Label just revealed the winners of this year’s International V-Label Awards at the Virtual Awards Ceremony held on November 4th. The international jury panel consisted of 15 leaders from the plant-based industry, vegan influencers, and representatives of NGOs.The newly announced winners of the competition are listed below. Meet the 11 winners of the International V-Label Awards Best Meat Alternative – GAIA, Belgium Launched in 2008, GAIA’s Faux Gras (see featured image) is a 100% animal-friendly alternative to foie gras. According to GAIA’s general manager Ann de Greef, sales are increasing year after year, with no less than 500,000 boxes of “classic” Faux Gras® de GAIA sold in 2018 alone. Best Dairy Alternative – Carrefour Sensation, France Carrefour’s Spécialité végétale au …

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Runner on the track at a sport stadium

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Health

New V-Label Survey Finds Plant-based Ingredients in Sports Nutrition Gaining Popularity in Europe

Data from 18 European countries show that plant-based ingredients are appealing to consumers interested in sports nutrition products. For instance, 18,000 Europeans are interested in: plant protein (71%), rice protein (60%), potato protein (59%), wheat protein (59%), pea protein (58%), soy protein (56%), algae protein (41%), and hemp protein (41%). Interestingly, the most common protein on the market – whey – was second in terms of favorability, chosen by 69% of respondents. Egg protein was even lower with 57%. The survey demonstrates that food producers that want to introduce new products or boost sales should continue educating consumers and focus on communicating the various benefits their ingredients and products may bring to their consumers.      Ingredients and flavours Sports nutrition food and drink producers introducing new …

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V Label

© V-Label

Fairs & Events

V-Label Reveals the Finalists Of the International V-Label Awards 2021

The international jury panel consisting of 15 senior leaders from the industry, media and NGOs carefully evaluated all the entries. The International V-Label Awards also included a round of public voting – which had a massive response with 42,856 cast votes – and a special award voted by a panel of 11 trending influencers that have a combined audience of 1 million followers. The three finalists for each of the 9 award categories are as follows: Best Meat Alternative Faux Gras de GAIA from Belgium VEGDOG from Germany Ardo’s Beet Bacon from Belgium Best Dairy Alternative KOLIOS S.A. Hello-V Classic Flavour from Greece Carrefour’s Spécialité végétale au lait de coco goût fraise Carrefour Sensation from France Bonneterre et compagnie’s Natural Grated Vegeese from France Best …

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V-Label Awards

©V-Label Awards

Fairs & Events

The International V-Label Awards Closed For Entry After Overwhelmingly Positive Response

The International V-Label Awards are officially closed for entries after an overwhelmingly positive response with 577 entries from 36 countries across the globe, from big names like Alpro or Beyond Meat to innovative emerging start-ups like Yo-Egg. “Having a high level of participation like the one we’ve had was crucial. It is very positive for the future finalists and winners, as being awarded among so many participating businesses becomes unique and prestigious,” says Jenifer Linares, Awards program manager at V-Label. The international jury panel consisting of senior leaders from the industry, media and NGOs will evaluate the entries through the month of September. The International V-Label Awards will also include a round of public voting and a special award voted by a panel of 11 …

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V Label

© V-Label

Fairs & Events

V-Label Awards to Recognise “Quality, Innovation and Positive Impact” in the Plant-Based Sector

World-leading vegan and vegetarian trademark V-Label has launched international awards to recognise innovative products and companies in the plant-based sector. Companies can now submit their entries free of charge until July 31st. “We are currently experiencing an unprecedented change in the food industry” The awards feature nine categories, including product categories such as Best Meat Substitute and Best Dairy Substitute. Other categories, such as Sustainability and Positive Impact, will recognise ethical business practices. There will also be an Innovation category, which can be entered by any company offering vegan products as long as it is not already a V-Label customer. A panel of senior industry leaders, including those from the media and NGOs, will decide on the winners. There will also be a public voting …

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