Spotlight on...Vegan Food
Concerns Around Vegan-labelled Food
With around one in 20 (4.5%) of the UK population following a meat-free diet, CTSI has warned that it is more important than ever that consumers can be confident that if they decide to adopt a vegan diet, they can be assured that foods labelled as vegan do not contain animal-derived products. This can be a particular issue for people with allergies to animal-based products such as lactose.
Sampling data supplied by Hampshire and Kent Scientific Services showed several products labelled as ‘vegan’ or ‘plant-based' contained milk or eggs, meaning many people following a vegan diet are likely to have unknowingly eaten products derived from an animal. Milk and eggs are two ingredients that can cause severe reactions in allergy sufferers.
CTSI’s public polling has found that more than three-quarters of consumers (76.4%) incorrectly believe that food products labelled as vegan do not contain any animal products, even in very small amounts. However, because there is currently no legal definition of vegan food, so therefore nothing is currently in place to prevent trace amounts of animal-derived products from appearing in food sold as suitable for a vegan diet.
CTSI Webinar
Wednesday 31 January. Time: 3pm – 4.30pm
CTSI members are invited to join us for a free webinar looking at vegan food labelling. The webinar brings together key experts from Trading Standards, Charities, Food Groups and Business to discuss whether consumers who live with food allergies are being put at risk from eating vegan-labelled food. As well as hearing from key players in this space, there will also be an opportunity to deep dive into this issue and ask our speakers any burning questions.
Top issues to be covered include:
- What are the concerns with vegan-labelled foods
- What protections are already in place to safeguard consumers
- What are the challenges faced by the food industry to ensure products are allergen free
- The role of the Vegan Society in this growing area
- The lack of legal definition for vegan food and next steps
Meet our speakers
Jessica Merryfield, Trading Standards Food expert
Steve Emmett, Food Labelling Expert
Steve Hamon, CEO at the Vegan Society
Alicia Kennedy, The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation
Book now!
CPPD will be allocated after the event