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Are ‘vegan,’ ‘plant-based,’ or ‘vegetarian’ claims legally defined? This lack of clarity can lead to unintended consumption of meat and other animal products and be life-threatening to those with allergies. According to the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), there is no legal threshold for the level of trace amounts of animal products that a ‘vegan’-labelled product can contain. Last year, an investigation uncovered traces of egg or dairy in 39% of products labeled as ‘vegan.’
Should legal definitions be put in place?
Many consumers are mislead by the fact that products labeled ‘vegan’ can contain traces of animal products. Image Source: Getty Images/Tom Werner
‘Manufacturers found to have misled consumers may receive an improvement notice to change or revise the name or description of the product which could have costly consequences and cause reputational damage. Breaching an improvement notice is a criminal offence which carries an unlimited fine.’
Manufacturers of plant-based, vegetarian, and vegan products need to play a role before regulations come into place.
Learn more here.