Eat. With Veganuary, many people start the new year vegan. But a legal loophole makes it difficult for them to find meat-free foods.
- In “Veganuary,” people voluntarily start the year without meat and eat a purely plant-based diet for a month.
- There is still no legally binding definition of the terms “vegetarian” and “vegan food”
- The legal loophole has consequences: vegan foods can contain animal ingredients. We explain what vegans need to pay attention to
The “Veganuary” wants to encourage people worldwide to give up meat for a month and to eat a purely plant-based diet. “Veganuary” is a combination of the terms “Vegan” and “January”. Many discount stores and vegan restaurants advertise their offers. Promotion month has been around since 2014.
Behind vegan nutrition there is almost always the desire to ethical and sustainable to live. The motive: meat and milk from factory farming harm the climate, and no animals have to die for purely plant-based products.
Three percent of people in Germany now live vegan, according to a Forsa survey from August 2023. Nine percent describe themselves as vegetarians. Taken together, this means that around ten million people in this country do without meat. But which foods are really vegan? Where are the dangers lurking? hidden additives of animal origin? We explain what consumers need to know.
Aldi, Lidl and Co. discover new target groups
The vchanged eating and consumption habits of the consumer is reflected in the shelves of supermarkets. Meat substitutes made from tofu, soy, tempeh or seitan have long since found their way here. In 2022, a total of 104,300 tons of meat alternatives were produced, compared to around 97,900 tons in the previous year. The discounters have set their sights on the new target groups. Aldi, for example, announced a few days ago that it would expand its range to 1000 vegan labelled product varieties to expand.
But even if, according to the Allensbach Institute for Demoscopy, the number of vegans living in Germany doubled from 2015 to 2021 the demand for animal products is still many times higher. According to the Federal Statistical Office, commercial slaughterhouses produced almost 3.3 million tons of meatA total of 23.6 million pigs, cattle, sheep, goats and horses and 343.9 million chickens, turkeys and ducks were slaughtered in the first half of the year.
There are no legally binding definitions for vegan foods, such as schnitzel rolls made from soy from a vegan butcher’s shop in Dresden. Consumer advocates would like to see clearer labeling. © dpa
There is no legal definition for “vegan” and “vegetarian”
Vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian – what does that mean exactly? How do the alternative diets differ, and is it true that vegan foods also contain animal ingredients can be hidden?
Vegans don’t have it easy. A legal loophole makes it difficult for them to reliably identify purely plant-based (vegan) and vegetarian products on packaging. In fact, there is currently no legal definition of the terms “vegan” and “vegetarian” for food in Germany.
Guidelines for labelling should help
However, there are guidelines for labeling that vegans can follow. The consumer protection ministers of the federal states agreed on these basic points in 2016. They were adopted as guidelines in German food law. “The guidelines are not legally binding and should be understood as expert opinions that represent the general public opinion,” explains Elisabeth van Thiel, nutrition expert at the NRW consumer advice center. “That is why they are certainly taken into account in legal disputes.”
So what is vegan and what is vegetarian? The NRW Consumer Advice Center summarizes the definitions published in the German Food Book as follows:
- Vegan: Foods labelled as vegan and vegetarian must not contain any ingredients (including additives, carriers, flavourings, enzymes), processing aids and similar substances of animal origin
- Vegetarian: In addition, foods labelled as vegetarian may contain milk, colostrum, farm poultry eggs, honey, beeswax, propolis and wool fat, as well as products thereof
A first orientation in the supermarket: quality seals
Consumers looking for vegan or vegetarian food in the supermarket can register as first orientation aid based on quality seals. The labels are not awarded by government institutions, but contain criteria that are uniform across Europe.
The V-Label
The V-Label for vegan food © EVU | European Vegetarian Union
The logo most familiar to consumers is the V-Label, which is used by European Vegetarian Union (EVU) There is a label for vegan and one for vegetarian products. Foods that carry the V-Label must not contain any of the following ingredients or processing aids:
- Animal flesh (meat, poultry, fish, seafood)
- Ingredients made from meat or bones (in soups, sauces or preparations)
- Animal fats (except butter fat), frying fats or margarine containing fish oil or similar products, for example in cakes, casseroles, pasta, for baking and frying, for greasing baking trays and tins or any other use
- Gelatin, aspic, gelling agents of animal origin
- Royal jelly (special bee product)
- other products containing ingredients from slaughterhouse waste
Source: www.verbraucherzentrale.nrw
The criteria of the V-Label correspond to the guidelines of the German Food Code. In some points, the standards of the V-Label beyond the guiding principlesEggs, for example, must not come from caged hens and their origin must be proven in writing. Genetically modified products may not carry the “V” either. Honey is only permitted in vegetarian products.
It also provides for random checks or, where appropriate, checks involving a independent testing laboratories can take place.
The EcoVeg logo
The EcoVeg label for vegan food. © VegOrganic eV | VegOrganic eV
The EcoVeg logo identifies vegan Organic foodThis vegan logo was developed in 2015 by the association VegOrganic eV. This association of experts from the organic sector is committed to transparent and independent control of vegan products in organic quality.
To receive the label, the products must be composed exclusively of plant-based ingredients. They may only without technical additives from animal organisms produced. Companies that produce both vegan and animal foods must ensure spatial and temporal separation during production and also store the foods separately later. Only products that are already certified with a valid EU organic label are labeled. The label is only awarded for one year, after which new checks are carried out.
The Fairtrade seal
The Fairtrade social seal. © Fairtrade
The logo is not an explicitly vegan label, but can be found on many vegan products. It refers to goods whose ingredients are 100 percent fair trade and that certain social, ecological and economic criteria were observed during production. The social seal is intended to ensure that small farmers receive a guaranteed cost-covering price for their goods. Certain pesticides are prohibited, and organic farming is rewarded.
Also read: Save food by containering
The problem with the ingredients
“Those who intentionally do not buy animal products do not want to buy them unintentionally either,” criticizes the Animal rights organisation Peta. The problem behind this is that vegan foods can contain hidden animal ingredients that are not easily identified from the ingredients list. For example, manufacturers are not required to state whether additives, flavors, and vitamin supplements are of animal origin. Often, only a list of E numbers or a call to the manufacturer can help.
Other ingredients such as solvents and carriers for additives, flavourings and vitamins or processing aids do not necessarily have to be included in the List of ingredients listed – however, they can be of animal origin.
The consumer centres have provided an overview of additives that may be of animal origin on this page of the information portal Lebensmittelklarheit.de published.
Vegans should pay attention to these E numbers
Most vegans know that fruit gum with gelatine can be made from pork rind. However, they should also look for the abbreviation “E120” in the list of ingredients. This is where the red dye is hidden. Real Carminewhich is obtained from the scale insect. E120 can also be found in jams and fruit preparations.
Chocolate or pastries covered with chocolate shine when shellac (E904) is used. The coating agent is obtained from lac insects. Beeswax (E901) can also be used for this purpose.
At Baked goods such as bread or rolls The additive L-cysteine can be used, it makes the dough easier to knead. It is an amino acid made from pig bristles or bird feathers. This additive has the abbreviation E920 – however, this is only recognizable in packaged baked goods.
At vegan juices or wines Gelatine from the connective tissue of animals is often used to clarify the liquid. In wines, the swim bladder of sturgeon can also be used for this purpose. Since in both cases the additives are removed again, they do not have to be declared on the products. Here too, if in doubt, the only option is to ask the manufacturer.
Consumer advocates call for mandatory labelling
Also interesting
More Clarity in labelling Consumer advocates, including the Foodwatch organisation, are calling for vegan food to be labelled as vegan. “The guidelines are a good start,” says expert van Thiel, “but we as the consumer organisation would like to see the terms vegan and vegetarian enshrined in law and clear information on the front of the product packaging that the food is vegan or vegetarian.” Made-up fantasy names for these products could confuse consumers.
This is an article from the Digital Sunday Newspaper. The Digital Sunday Newspaper is free for all newspaper subscribers. You can get activated here.Not a subscriber yet? Click here to see our offers.