Veganism is growing in popularity around the world for several reasons. According to research, over 16% of meals in the UK were plant-based. The growth of vegan foods in the UK has shown a rise from 3-18% from 2018.

It would be surprising to know that there is no exact definition of vegan at any level. The definition of vegan varies from industry to industry. In the UK, veganism is defined as-

“A philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude – as far as is possible and practicable – all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.”

The UK’s Food and Drink Federation find this challenging and focus on making people aware of a vegan diet and claim to be safe for those having allergies to milk and eggs. The FDF states,

“A food product labelled as ‘suitable for vegans’ may not be appropriate for certain allergic consumers due to unintentional cross-contact with allergenic ingredients of animal origin.”

However, the risk to the consumer as a result of insufficient controls can be a big mistake in the manufacturing process.

Contract research organization Reading Scientific Services Ltd (RSSL) believes a system of validation of controls is needed if a company has to follow a path towards offering vegan products. Senior food safety and quality consultant at RSS, Barbara Hirst says,

“There is a clear food safety aspect and manufacturers don’t want to make claims they cannot substantiate. The challenge is about being clear about what that claim means.”

She further said,

“If you are choosing a vegan product as a lifestyle choice and egg is present unintentionally, you would clearly be very disappointed and aggrieved, but it’s a very different situation if you have chosen a vegan-labelled product because you are allergic to egg and you have assumed it is safe.”

She added,

“EU regulations set out clearly that there is a list of 14 allergens that must be declared and emphasised in the ingredients list if present intentionally; however, precautionary labelling for unintentional presence (such as ‘may contain’) or claims such as vegan are voluntary. The regulation states that these voluntary claims, if used, must not be confusing or ambiguous for the consumer. It could be argued that a vegan claim on a product with a ‘may contain milk’ could be confusing; hence the challenge both for the manufacturer and the consumer.”

Several Factors Should be Considered When You are Delivering a New Vegan Product

Many factors should be kept in mind when you are manufacturing a new vegan product. Also, if you are delivering animal-derived ingredients, then the risk of contamination should be checked. Controls should be implemented to avoid or minimize the risk of cross-packing incidents.

The team should understand the risk of wrong results, and the training should be performed appropriately to ensure risk is minimized. Another difficulty manufacturers face is that they don’t know what to test and when. RSSL can help manufacturers with the risk of cross-contamination and also with the testing of non-vegan materials.

Senior scientist at company’s DNA and Protein laboratory said,

“We can test for milk and egg, and for the presence of DNA from different animals, but some e-numbers or animal fats are not easy to test for, so there are lots of questions that need to be asked – you cannot use one test to verify whether something is vegan or not.”

It is important for manufacturers to ask the right questions to suppliers and completely understand their requirements. The manufacturers have a high degree of focus on food safety and quality. Also, they should understand what vegan means to substantiate it. Christiana Holt, a senior scientist, said,

“It can be quite easy to think the risk is bigger than it is, but it doesn’t have to be that way if you do a really good risk assessment and validate the controls well.”

Laboratory facilities should be tested for the presence of animal derivatives in a product. The organization can also conduct site assessments against industry practices and advise a company where pitfalls can occur.