The NZ Vegetarian Society (NZVS) and the Vegan Society of Aotearoa have partnered to launch a petition advocating clear and standardised labelling for vegan and vegetarian foods in New Zealand.
The organisations are calling on the government to implement legislation to prevent consumer confusion, following an increase in the use of terms such as “plant-based” or “less dairy” for products that may contain animal ingredients. They argue that ambiguous labelling impacts not just vegans and vegetarians but also allergy sufferers and people who avoid certain foods for religious reasons.
The petition says that products marked “vegan” must be completely free of animal-derived ingredients, while vegetarian products should not contain meat, seafood, or other ingredients resulting from animal slaughter (such as gelatine or rennet). Additionally, if eggs are used in vegetarian foods then they must be free-range. Both vegetarian and vegan products should be free of GMOs and must not have been tested on animals; there should also be measures in place to avoid cross-contamination with animal products.
“Clear and honest labelling is not just a matter of consumer rights”
The petition also argues that the term “plant-based” should be reserved for products that are 100% derived from plants, while vague and potentially misleading terms such as “less dairy” should be banned.
“Clear and honest labelling is not just a matter of consumer rights, but a step towards a more transparent and ethical food industry,” said NZVS spokesperson Ina Babic. “The NZVS also offers Vegan Certification and Vegetarian Approval for products, which consumers should look out for. With the current lack of legislation, these trademarks provide much-needed assurance that products meet strict criteria, helping to protect consumers from misleading labels.”
Click here to read a recent opinion piece by Claire Insley, Media Spokesperson and board member of the Vegan Society Aotearoa.
Alternative proteins and agriculture
The petition comes as New Zealand companies continue to innovate in the area of plant-based foods and alternative proteins. Future Food Aotearoa, a founders’ movement working to accelerate the growth and impact of food tech in New Zealand, attended the San Francisco Future Food-Tech Conference earlier this year to showcase a variety of sustainable food startups. These included Daisy Lab, which produces animal-free dairy proteins using precision fermentation, and NewFish, which sources complete nutrition ingredients from microalgae.
A report published in March found that alternative proteins could significantly impact farming in New Zealand, potentially leading to reductions in the amount of land used for meat and dairy production and increases in arable areas in some regions. In a scenario where all barriers to the success of alternative proteins are removed, there would be considerable economic and environmental benefits.
However, an analysis of data from the New Zealand Health Survey last year found that just 2.04% of New Zealanders were fully vegetarian, while 0.74% were vegan. A further 2.89% did not consume red meat. Women, young people, Asians, and more educated people were the most likely to reduce their meat consumption or eliminate meat altogether.
“Our results indicate that the prevalence of red meat excluders, pescatarians, vegetarians, and vegans was low, and approximately 93% of New Zealanders eat red meat,” said the study authors. “A national nutrition survey will enable the quantification of the amount of animal and plant-source foods consumed by the NZ population and the alignment of the NZ diet to national and global dietary guidelines, which recommend a largely plant-based diet with small amounts of animal-source foods for human and planetary health.”
