Fundación Veg, previously known as Fundación Vegetarianos Hoy, has announced that by the end of 2023, a total of 170 companies and 1,900 products had obtained a V-Label certification in Latin America.
Through this program, the foundation encourages companies to include vegan products within sustainability strategies to mitigate the environmental impact of food production.
From Mexico to Chile, 164 companies of different brands and product varieties have achieved V-Label certification. In the words of the director of the Veg Foundation, Ignacia Uribe, “Among the companies that have entrusted their certification to the Foundation we have names of multinationals such as Nestlé, Bimbo, Concha y Toro, and Masglo, among others, but we also have local enterprises that even have certified artisanal products, such as the case of Nonquen Beer, in Chile. In Colombia, we highlight the case of Synergetic, a vegan protein powder startup, which even won one of the awards at the prestigious V-Label Awards.”
Wines and cosmetics are most certified products
Wines and cosmetics were the categories that accumulated the most certified products in the year and companies from Chile, Colombia, and Mexico stand out. “We have seen a growing interest in products other than food, which is why we can proudly say that we have almost 400 cosmetics certified as vegan between these three countries,” says Ignacia Uribe, general director and founder of Fundación Veg.
As for emerging alternatives to meat and dairy, they contributed to significantly reducing the environmental footprint of the global food system, especially in high- and middle-income countries, as long as they use low-carbon energy. This is one of the main conclusions of a new assessment by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) on these new alternatives to livestock farming, a sector responsible for up to a fifth of the emissions that warm the planet, with a meat consumption that will grow by 50% between now and 2050.
“The V-Label seal is the most recognized seal in the world and we are part of the group of licensors worldwide that has the exclusivity to deliver this seal in Latin America,” said Uribe.