Publication of guidelines for vegan and vegetarian food
Jan 15, 2019 - Foods
Publication of guidelines for vegan and vegetarian food
The German Food Code Commission (DLMBK) published the "Guidelines for vegan and vegetarian foods similar to foods of animal origin" on 20.12.18.
The guidelines refer to vegan and vegetarian foods that are named in accordance to already established designations from the "Guidelines for Meat and Meat Products", the "Guidelines for Fish, Crustaceans and Molluscs and Products Thereof", and the "Guidelines for Gourmet Salads" and are advertised as such.
The guidelines contain definitions for "vegan" and "vegetarian foods", what should be considered during manufacturing, and the required properties of the products.
Thus, only foods that are not of animal origin and have not been used at any stage of production may be labeled as vegan.
Vegetarian foods are those that meet the requirements for vegan foods but may additionally contain milk, eggs, honey, beeswax, or lanolin.
In the production of vegan foods, characteristic animal ingredients are replaced with plant-based ones, for example, soy protein instead of meat or plant-based lecithin instead of egg. In the production of vegetarian foods, meat is replaced by other animal proteins, for example, replacing meat with milk, egg, or plant protein.
When naming the product, it should be noted that there must be a clear indication of the vegan or vegetarian nature and the main substituting ingredient, for example, "vegetarian schnitzel made from milk protein" or "vegan seitan goulash".
Regarding the adaptation of the designation, the BLL statement "Notes on the transition to the revised guidelines of the German Food Code" must be considered.
In our Tentamus laboratories, we regularly conduct screenings to exclude animal components in vegetarian and vegan foods. We provide you with fast and reliable results.
Our customer advisors are happy to answer any questions you may have.
Source: Association for Food Law and Food Science e.V., www.bll.de