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INFORMATION
FOR BUSINESSES INTERESTED IN USING THE CERTIFIED
VEGAN LOGO
Manufacturers
that carry the Vegan Certification Trademark
on their products guarantee that each product
is strictly vegan, containing no animal
ingredients or animal by-products, using
no animal ingredient or by-product in the
manufacturing process, and not being tested
on animals.
The Logo is administered by The Vegan Awareness
Foundation/Vegan Action, a 501(c)3 nonprofit
organization dedicated to educating the
public about veganism and to assist vegan-friendly
businesses.
What are
the benefits of Vegan Certification?
In addition to vegan consumers, Vegan
Certification appeals to a wide variety
of consumers including health conscious,
vegetarian, lactose intolerant, and people
allergic to eggs. Although vegans represent
a fraction of the population, the marketing
of foods made without any animal products
can include rather then exclude this segment
to increase the potential market. Vegans
are heavy and loyal users of products that
meet their needs. They often generate word
of mouth recommendations not only to other
vegans, but also to the spectrum of meatless
consumers. Vegans are more likely to buy
a product that is vegan certified because
it openly caters to them. Often vegan consumers
avoid products because they are unsure about
certain ingredients but Vegan Certification
removes any doubts about the products vegan
suitability. Vegan and vegetarian diets
are rapidly growing in popularity. Mintel
Consumer Intelligence estimated that the
vegetarian foods market will be $2.8 billion
by 2006. Other Statistics:
| • |
4.8
million people were estimated to be
“True Vegetarian” in a 2000
Zogby poll. |
| • |
A
2000 Roper poll estimated that there
are one million vegetarian children
ages 6-17. |
| • |
According
to the National Digestive Diseases Information
Clearinghouse, between 30 and 50 million
Americans are lactose intolerant. |
| • |
The
2000 Zogby poll estimates that vegans
make up 1% of the US population. |
The
Vegan Certification Trademark is an extremely
cost effective marketing technique for your
business. Your product instantly appeals
to millions of consumers and may give you
an edge over non-certified products. If
you wish, Vegan Action will work with you
to issue a press release declaring the vegan
status of your products.
In addition to using the trademark, certified
companies receive a free listing with a
link on our website www.vegan.org which
is one of the top vegan websites on the
internet. Your company will be promoted
as we travel to trade shows, and exhibitions
in promotion of the Vegan Certification
Project. Your company can also direct consumers’
questions regarding the vegan status of
your products to the Vegan Awareness Foundation/Vegan
Action.
How do
I qualify for the Logo?
You can apply to use the Logo on any vegan
product. Your company need not produce solely
vegan products to qualify. Your company
must be located within th United States
of America or Canada. You can download the
Certified Vegan Logo application form
in MS
Word format or PDF
format.
Business
Certification FAQs
"What if only a few of my products
are vegan?"
We allow companies that have just one or
a few vegan products to register. We just
need some assurances about quality control
and processing.
"I am sending my products to the
printer in a few days—how can I get
my products certified as soon as possible?"
We have a $75 rush process for companies
that need to have the application hurried
along. It is possible to process an application
in 2-7 days (subject to receipt of necessary
assurances) and we can assist in getting
your products registered just as fast as
you need.
Steps
in the Certification Process:
| 1. |
Company
submits certification application for
review by faxing or mailing completed
application with the complete list of
ingredients and processing to Vegan
Awareness Foundation/Vegan Action. Information
regarding any animal testing on the
finished product or testing of individual
ingredients by the manufacturer or on
their behalf must be included in the
application. |
| 2. |
Upon
receipt, the application will be checked
and any queries will be forwarded to
the company requesting certification. |
| 3. |
Products
will be reviewed which may involve laboratory
testing and contact with the suppliers
and manufacturers. This process may
take several weeks depending on the
number of products submitted for review
and the amount of questionable ingredients
or processes. |
| 4. |
There
is a $75 dollar rush fee for companies
wishing to have their products rushed
through in 7 days. This is not available
to companies that submit more then 10
products for review at once. The rush
fee does not guarantee that all applications
can be rushed through as the process
depends upon the companies ability to
supply needed information in a timely
manner. |
| 5. |
After
thorough review of the products, The
Foundation grants use of the trademark
for a 12 month period. |
| 6. |
Licensing
fee is assessed by companies’
annual revenue and is due before permission
will be issued. All companies
may set up an account to pay the license
fee in installments. New
companies (less than two years old)
will receive a 10% discount on the
licensing fee for the first year of
certification. There is also a 10%
discount for companies that exclusively
market vegan products. (Example: 1
year old, exclusively vegan company
will receive a discount of 20%). Licensing
fees help fund the certification program,
protect the legitimacy of the trademark,
and assure that the certification
program will be able to continue in
the future
| Fee
band |
Annual
Turnover |
Annual
Fee |
| A |
Under
$15,000 |
$120 |
| B |
Up
to $250,000 |
$150 |
| C |
Up
to $450,000 |
$250 |
| D |
Up
to $850,000 |
$450 |
| E |
Up
to $2 million |
$650 |
| F |
Up
to $10 million |
$1,500 |
| G |
Greater
then $10 million |
$2,000 |
|
| 7. |
The
Foundation will issue a permission-to-use
document declaring certification status
upon receipt of the licensing fee. Additional
products can be submitted for review
anytime during the 12 month period at
no extra charge. |
| 8. |
Upon
receipt of the licensing fee, The Foundation
will issue the artwork in a gif, tif,
or png format. We also have several
variations of the artwork for use for
your companies unique design needs. |
| 9. |
After
the 12 month period is up companies
will be reviewed and required to submit
the annual licensing fee to continue
using the trademark for another 12 month
period. |
The
trademark is the property of the Vegan Awareness
Foundation/Vegan Action and can be revoked
under the following circumstances:
1. Failure to conform to the merchant agreement.
2. Non-payment of the licensing fee.
3. Misuse of trademark on products not certified
vegan.
The Vegan Awareness Foundation reserves
the right to asses a penalty fee to any
company that is found in violation of the
merchant agreement by misuse of the trademark
or by providing false or misleading information
regarding ingredients and processing of
product. The Vegan Awareness Foundation
can require companies to pay for and have
their products tested in a laboratory of
the Foundation’s choosing if they feel
that proper verification of vegan status
cannot be determined otherwise.
The Foundation does not permit companies
to use language that implies that we recommend
a product—“Certified by the Vegan
Awareness Foundation (or Vegan Action)”
is acceptable wording.
Please e-mail certification@vegan.org
if you have questions regarding any of the
above statements.
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