Certification

Woman shopping in store/ supermarket

© The Vegetarian Society
Studies & Numbers

Survey: 1 in 3 UK Shoppers Use On-Pack Symbols to Identify Animal-Free Products

A new survey by The Vegetarian Society has found that 1 in 3 (34%) UK shoppers look for an on-pack symbol when attempting to determine whether a product is animal-free. Among vegetarian and vegan shoppers, 77% said that they often or always check for a Vegetarian Society logo. 37% of all shoppers were familiar with the charity’s symbols — one for vegetarian products, and another for vegan ones. The logos are now used on thousands of products across the UK, including food, clothing, household items, and restaurant menus. Previous Vegetarian Society research indicates that 82% of consumers would prefer to see the symbols on packaging, rather than reading through all the ingredients to determine if a product is animal-free. Importance of certification The results of …

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China Vegan Society introduces Vegan Food Certification Program

© Image courtesy of China Vegan Society
Charity & Campaigns

China Vegan Society Introduces Vegan Food Certification Program, Reveals First Successful Applicants

The vegan movement in China is gaining momentum, as seen with the launch of the China Vegan Food Certification (CVFC) program on March 31, 2023. Developed over two years by a committee led by the China Vegan Society, the Beijing Soybean Foods Association, and the China Biodiversity Conservation & Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF), the CVFC offers two certifications for vegan products: the Vegan Food Certification and the Vegan & Pungent-Free Food Certification.  The CVFC was created to standardize vegan claims within the Chinese market, increase transparency and consumer trust in vegan products, and encourage consumers and food producers to make animal-free choices.  The new certification aligns with international vegan standards and offers a subcategory for in-demand “Buddhist-friendly” vegan products, explains the China Vegan Society. Currently, …

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Vegan Society CEO

Steve Hamon © The Vegan Society
People

Vegan Society CEO Visits South Korea as Country’s Vegan Market Surges

Vegan Society CEO Steve Hamon is planning a trip to South Korea, as the country’s demand for plant-based products grows rapidly. 250 South Korean brands have now collectively registered almost 3000 products with the Vegan Society Trademark. As part of his visit, Hamon will meet trademark holders and attend events — including speaking at the country’s largest vegan exhibition, VeganFiesta. It is hoped that this will encourage more brands to register with the trademark. “The vegan certification system of the Vegan Trademark helps consumers easily check and purchase vegan products by giving credibility to their vegan status. As The Vegan Society’s Vegan Trademark is an international mark, it works as a reliable indicator of the safety of our products and ingredients to consumers around the world,” …

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© LUSH
Cosmetics & Bodycare

Vegan Trademark Certifies 30,000th Cosmetics Product as Market Projected to Reach $21.4Bn

The Vegan Society‘s Vegan Trademark has reached a new milestone with the certification of its 30,000th animal-free cosmetics product. The trademark began as a certification scheme for the food sector in 1990, expanding to include cosmetics in 2005. Of the more than 65,000 products carrying the trademark, cosmetics and toiletries now account for 45%. The 30,000th cosmetics product to be registered was LUSH’s “After” Magnesium Massage Bar. The Vegan Society said it was “wonderful” that the milestone had been reached with LUSH, as the brand has been a client since 2006. LUSH also campaigns extensively against animal testing, and 95% of its range is fully vegan. Fast-growing market The vegan beauty market is growing rapidly, with a market report predicting that it will be worth …

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V-Label updated logos

© V-Label
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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two pea protein bars with dark chocolate cover on top of a table

© Merit Functional Foods
Ingredients

Merit Launches “Superior Quality” Certified Organic Pea Protein for F&B Manufacturers

Merit Functional Foods, a Canadian company that produces plant-based protein ingredients, recently launched its first USDA Certified Organic pea protein, Organic Peazazz C™ 850. The company claims its new pea protein is the most transparent and sustainable ingredient available to F&B manufacturers to date.  Organic Peazazz is intended for use in various applications, including ready-to-drink (RTD) and ready-to-mix (RTM) protein drinks, dairy alternatives, protein bars, and other food products.  Ryan Bracken, Merit’s co-CEO, commented on the recent launch: “Organic protein is undoubtedly more laborious, as it requires stricter growing processes, stringent regulations, and unique filtration processes to get it right. For that reason, certified organic options are scarce in the market with limited availability. We have worked to make organic pea protein scalable, accessible, and the highest …

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Certification on Product Label

© SCS Global Services
Society

SCS Global Launches New Plant-Based Certification to Support Transparency in Labeling

SCS Global Services, a leader in third-party certification, announces the launch of its Plant-Based Certification Program. The program, built around a new standard from the nonprofit development body SCS Standards, seeks to help consumers make better-informed choices by distinguishing plant-based brands through rigorous auditing, testing and labeling requirements.  Certification under the new SCS-109 Standard confirms that products do not contain any animal-derived inputs; products eligible to receive certification include food, beverages, CBD, and body care products.  According to the standard, products for human and animal consumption must contain a minimum of 95% plant-based ingredients, while other items, such as body care products, must contain a minimum of 50% plant-derived ingredients.  SCS states that the certification’s audit mechanisms, procedures, and quality systems are aligned with its …

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vegan foie gras product called voie gras made by gourmet garden

© Garden Gourmet Schweiz-Suisse-Svizzera
Products & Launches

Garden Gourmet Launches Vegan Foie Gras in Swiss and Spanish Supermarkets

Garden Gourmet, Nestle’s plant-based brand, recently announced the launch of a limited edition of Voie Gras, the brand’s vegan alternative to foie gras, in Swiss and Spanish supermarkets. Voie Gras, which simulates the taste, texture, and aroma of the traditional duck liver pâté, will be the first vegan-certified alternative to reach large retail distribution in both countries, said Garden Gourmet in a statement. Foie gras consumption has fallen  Traditionally, foie gras producers force-feed ducks to make their livers fatty for the rich and greasy spread. This routine is widely considered one of the cruellest practices in the farming industry. According to Animal Equality UK, foie gras production is banned in many countries, including Switzerland, the UK, the Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Poland, Germany, and Turkey. …

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Vegan Friendly Meat Commercial

©Vegan Friendly
Marketing & Media

Israel’s Vegan Friendly Launching First US Branch with Primetime TV Campaign

Vegan Friendly, an Israeli nonprofit, is bringing its groundbreaking brand of vegan advocacy to the US for the first time. After successfully increasing access to plant-based food and raising awareness of factory farming in Israel and the UK, the group is opening its first US branch in New York City. Beginning next month, Vegan Friendly will also air a new ad campaign, “Hell of a Steak”, on US primetime television.  Innovative advocacy Founded in 2012, Vegan Friendly uses high-tech R&D to promote veganism through multiple creative platforms, including social media, billboards, ad campaigns, and large events, reports Israel21C. The self-sustaining organization has developed a number of successful projects, including the purple Vegan Friendly certification seal, which is carried on 8,000 vegan food products and 2,000 …

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Eve Vegan
Marketing & Media

Sponsored Post

EVE VEGAN® establishes itself as the new benchmark for certification only 5 years after its launch

Hélène Modrezjewski, a 38-year-old entrepreneur, is on the verge of succeeding in her wager: creating an international standard for the certification of vegan products, EVE VEGAN®. The story began a little over 5 years ago, with the intention, for this long-time activist and president of the Vegan France association, to work so that vegan products are recognised, identified, verified and certified according to a standardised process. Proposing a standard in this as yet unregulated field is a positive, transformative lever to ensure the reduction of animal consumption through the economic development of vegan products. From the outset, Hélène Modrezjewski’s ambition was to impose a European vision of certification, the acronym EVE standing for “Expertise Vegan Europe”. Today, the young company has certified nearly 6,000 products …

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Vibio vegan sex toys

©Vibio
Company News

Vibio: World’s First Personal Pleasure Toys Achieve Vegan Society Certification

Vibio, the queer and women-owned sex tech company, has become the first-ever to register its toys with The Vegan Society. Vibio’s app-controlled toy range as well as its lubricants have been verified as entirely free from animal products and testing and certified with the Vegan Trademark. Vibio was founded in 2018 by childhood friends Alma Ramírez Acosta and Patricia Cervantes Santana. The team launched its first vibrator and accompanying app via Kickstarter and now has a range of four toys made from body-safe platinum-grade silicone. Vibio also produces educational content for those wishing to find out more about sexual wellbeing. Lubricants, toys, and condoms can contain animal derivatives such as enzymes, animal skin or beeswax, or may have been tested on animals, making vegan certification …

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Avery Dennison label

©Avery Dennison

Company News

Avery Dennison Becomes First Manufacturer of Adhesive Labels to Receive Vegan Certification

On a mission to face contemporary issues in the global labeling industry, US-based Avery Dennison, a global manufacturing company specializing in labeling and functional materials, just introduced its newly developed 100% vegan self-adhesive labels. Founded in 1935 as Avery Adhesives in downtown Los Angeles, the self-adhesive label pioneer merged with Dennison Manufacturing to form Avery Dennison in 1990. Over the past 80+ years, the company has grown into a global Fortune 500 corporation with a turnover of US$6.971 billion in 2020. The First Label Manufacturer to Achieve Vegan Certification The company’s products, which are used in nearly every major industry, include pressure-sensitive materials for labels and graphic applications. Moreover, the company offers tapes and other bonding solutions for industrial, medical, and retail applications, as well …

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Texon Vogue vegan alt leather material

©Texon
Leather Alternatives

Texon Achieves Vegan Society Certification for Vogue Plant-Based Alt Leather 

Texon Vogue has received certification from the Vegan Society as a fully vegan plant-based leather alternative. Texon – the global manufacturer of materials for the footwear and textile industries – made the move in celebration of Veganuary and the growing popularity of its sustainable and cruelty-free materials.  The cellulose-based material Texon Vogue is a 100% natural alternative to leather widely used by brands, which carries the Forestry Stewardship Council and Oeko-Tex certifications as well as the globally renowned Vegan Trademark. Texon has seen a significant uplift in interest in its Vogue material over the last five years, which it attributes, in part, to the increasing number of people becoming vegan. Texon boasts many global brands in its manufacturing supply chain, including Adidas, New Balance, Decathlon, …

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Friends of the Sea

©Friend of the Sea
Food & Beverage

WSO and GFI Announce Joint Certification Program Providing a “Gold Standard” for Plant-Based Seafood

The World Sustainability Organization (WSO) and The Good Food Institute (GFI) Sustainable Seafood Initiative announced a joint certification program to provide a Golden Standard for plant-based seafood producers, with the GFI stating, “This program is a pivotal opportunity for the nascent plant-based seafood industry to expand its visibility and impact.” As announced at GFI India’s Smart Protein Summit, The Friend of the Sea Golden Standard is set to help alt seafood companies certify their products according to sustainable certification criteria of the WSO’s Friend of the Earth agriculture standards.   To obtain the certification, companies must meet the following requirements: A well organised environmental management procedure. A system to protect the ecosystem, with implementation of areas dedicated to the conservation of wild flora and fauna. …

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Bolt Threads Mylo

© Bolt Threads
Textiles

Bolt Threads’ Mushroom “UnLeather” Mylo Awarded Prestigious Vegan Certification

Eurofins | Chem-MAP announces that Bolt Threads‘ innovative plant-based material Mylo Unleather has been verified as a vegan material following the successful completion of the Eurofins Vegan Verification Programme, which involves the analysis of all inputs for the presence of animal DNA. Mylo is one of the first vegan new materials to receive this verification. “A planet of 10 billion people cannot live like a planet of 1 billion people and in our resource-constrained world, now is the time for meaningful innovation” Mylo looks and feels like animal leather and as such is currently used by world-leading brands such as adidas, Stella McCartney, lululemon and Kering. Created from mycelium – the underground root structure of fungi – the material is certified bio-based and is developed …

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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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Old FYH sign Follow Your Heart

©Follow Your Heart
Interviews

Follow Your Heart: “Through Recycling, Composting, Reduction, and Repurposing Materials, We are Currently Diverting 98% of our Waste From Landfill”

When Follow Your Heart began fifty years ago as a tiny soup and sandwich counter in South California, the founders never dreamed that the brand would become an international leader in the plant-based foods industry. Its first product, the popular Vegenaise, is now available in over a dozen different flavors.

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