Of the remaining samples, 39 nutrition inaccuracies were identified – which was on average at least one per sample. Of the 55 unsatisfactory samples, 27 (49%) were related to labelling anomalies, including portion size and information about allergens, including no warnings.
“Misleading labelling can cause emotional stress for those who choose to avoid animal products for ethical reasons, as well as posing a threat to those with intolerances and allergies.” If misleading advertising caused a consumer to purchase something they otherwise wouldn’t have, they can contact the Citizens Advice Bureau who will look at this in terms of consumer rights law. She added: “If the labelling is misleading, the consumer can complain to the trading standards, who would usually take the definitions of the Vegetarian Society and the Vegan Society and look to see if it meets those standards. Maisie Stedman, from the Vegan Society, said she hoped “the legal requirements around food labelling improve going forward”. Half of people surveyed by CTSI thought plant-based and vegan meant the same thing, exposing those with allergies to be misled into thinking they are safe. The plant-based trend does not necessarily eliminate animal products from a person’s diet, but instead has people focus on eating mostly fruits, vegetables and nuts. Most of the products examined by scientists were labelled as vegan, although some were described as plant-based. She added: “There has also been an increase in those with animal-derived allergies choosing foods marked vegan thinking they are safe for them to eat, only to suffer an allergic reaction.” It has also seen a “rise in complaints and incidents where consumers feel they have been misled”. Kerry Nicol, the policy and campaigns executive at the CTSI, said plant-based and vegan diets had soared in popularity.
Comments made by coroner Maria Voisin in 2022, who called for a system of checks to ensure food is correctly labelled “free from” and “vegan” shone a spotlight on the devastating consequences of undeclared allergens.ĬTSI is calling for any food manufacturer or restaurant flouting any new rules to be held accountable if an extreme reaction is suffered. In 2017, Celia Marsh died after eating a wrap from Pret a Manger that was labelled vegan but due to cross-contamination during the manufacturing process contained milk protein. This belief was the highest (92.7%) among 35-44-year-olds. CTSI’s polling shows that among respondents with an allergy to milk, 84.6% believe vegan foods are safe for them to eat. And there is no threshold requirement for animal-derived products in the UK or the EU, unlike the prerequisite for trace amounts of gluten.Īccording to the CTSI report about 1.5% of the population is vegan and one in six people suffer from foodallergies. The CTSI surveyed 2,000 people, finding that 76% believed this to be so.īut there is currently no legal definition for vegan food, allowing firms to market their products as being so even if they contain dairy or egg.
#THREE NUTRITIONAL HABITS FREE#
Recent polling has discovered the widespread belief that something marketed as vegan is free from animal-derived ingredients. We are aware that people have sadly lost their lives because of this and are therefore calling for more clarity on what can and can’t legally be described as vegan and plant-based food.” “Perhaps of greater concern is that this ambiguity can have disastrous and sometimes tragic consequences for those with allergies to animal-derived products, like milk and eggs. John Herriman, the chief executive of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), said: “The lack of legal definition could be exploited by unethical food businesses claiming foods are as vegan, when in fact they contain animal-derived products.
In addition, inspectors found that nine in 10 out of 61 products - including 13 dairy alternatives and 48 meat alternatives - marked as vegan contained inaccuracies in labelling and nutritional information. The items analysed included vegan equivalents of chocolate truffles, pizza, burgers, muffins and wraps.
The total number of products tested was not provided. Inspectors from Hampshire and Kent Scientific Services found 23 vegan products analysed were found to have traces of dairy.
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