The market for vegetarian, vegan, and plant-based products is growing rapidly, but to date there is no binding public regulation governing the use of these claims.
Reference is therefore made to the following Regulations and voluntary standards that support the sector:
- EU Regulation 1169/2011: establishes that voluntary food information must be truthful and not misleading.
- ISO 23662:2021: defines the requirements for “vegetarian” and “vegan” claims, including variants such as “lacto-vegetarian” and “ovo-lacto-vegetarian.”
- ISO 8700:2025: introduces universal criteria for “plant-based” products, distinguishing between:
- Category A: 100% plant-based, also compliant with vegan requirements.
- Category B: plant-based products with limited use (≤5%) of non-characterizing animal ingredients.
Bioagricert has already been offering for several years a voluntary certification scheme dedicated to vegetarian, vegan, and plant-based products, in compliance with EN 17065.
This label ensures transparency and reliability, applying not only to the food sector but also to feed, pet food, catering, and even non-food products (cosmetics, clothing, detergents).
Bioagricert standard includes some stricter criteria compared to ISO standards, for example:
- Compliance with animal welfare rules for milk, eggs, and honey.
- Ban on animal glues for vegan products.
- Exclusion of Category B for plant-based products, which must also meet vegan requirements.
The long-standing collaboration with the VeganOK association, the leading vegan organization in Italy, continues. Thanks to this partnership, companies wishing to join the label can accompany their product with the professional and independent certification issued by Bioagricert, otherwise not provided. In this case, products verified for compliance with the VeganOK standard will bear the indication “Certified by Bioagricert” alongside the association’s historic logo.
Per ulteriori info: Alessandro Pulga (Client&Sales Manager) alessandro.pulga@bioagricert.org Cell. 3488059336