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VEGAN
CERTIFICATION
Vegan
Action administers the Certified Vegan
Logo, an easy-to-recognize symbol applied
to foods, clothing, cosmetics and other
items that contain no animal products and
are not tested on animals.
What
is the Certified Vegan Logo?
The Logo is a registered trademark, similar
in nature to the "kosher" mark,
for products that do not contain animal
products and that have not been tested on
animals. The Logo is easily visible to consumers
interested in vegan products and helps vegans
to shop without constantly consulting ingredient
lists; it helps companies recognize a growing
vegan market; and it helps bring the word
"vegan"and the lifestyle
it representsinto the mainstream.
(Please keep in mind, however, that the
logo is not yet on every vegan product.)
The Logo is administered by The Vegan Awareness
Foundation (official name of Vegan Action),
a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated
to educating the public about veganism and
to assist vegan-friendly businesses.
Consumer
Certification FAQs
"Why
do you charge money for the Certification?"
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.
If we lost ownership of the trademark or
if we were no longer able to certify companies,
the trademark would have no value as companies
could use it on whatever products they wanted,
vegan or not.
Why
do you accept products that are manufactured
on shared machinery?
We
do allow companies to use shared machinery
(machinery that ran products containing
eggs or dairy) in the production of their
products, but most of those products carry
a label that says so. Companies must assure
us that steps are taken to thoroughly clean
the machinery. Even though the machines
are guaranteed to be cleaned thoroughly
between non-vegan and vegan batches, shared
machinery may theoretically contain trace
amounts of eggs or dairy.
Many
vegan companies lease non-vegan kitchens
and equipment from other companies to
produce their products, or many companies
make vegan and non-vegan items on the
same machines. It is extremely expensive
for these small companies to purchase
dedicated vegan machinery of their own.
In fact, many vegan companies may not
exist if they had to purchase their own
equipment.
When
we were starting the Vegan Certification
Campaign we had to establish what was
going to be considered "vegan".
Most products with vegan ingredients
would not be considered vegan under
the strictest standards because of some
form of processing contamination. We
decided that we would not exclude products
that may possibly contain
trace amounts of "contamination".
We consulted with other prominent vegan
organizations and we all agree that vegan
purity is more harmful then helpful.
Our
motivation is working to end cruelty
to animals and we don't feel that avoiding
trace amounts of animal products in vegan
foods helps end animal suffering. It
is far better for the animals that these
vegan products exist. So many vegans
say that Soy Delicious is the best vegan
ice cream they have ever had. Soy Delicious
would most likely not exist if they had
to purchase their own vegan dedicated
machinery. It is far better for people
to realize that they have this option
instead of nothing. If there was no vegan
ice cream how many people would become
vegan?
We
are working to end cruelty to animals
by showing the non-vegan food industry
that there is a market for vegan products.
Once there are more vegan products available,
more people will want to become vegan.
As more people become vegan, more companies
will be able to afford dedicated machinery.
As it stands now, most people think veganism
is too hard, restrictive, and expensive.
When more vegan food is available it
will be easier to find cheaper vegan "substitutions"
so people won't feel it is hard, restrictive,
or expensive. Making veganism appeal to
all is the only way veganism will grow
and therefore cruelty to animals will
lessen.
Do
you accept products that contained refined
sugar?
We do not allow sugar that
is refined though bone char to carry the
"Certified Vegan" label. Any companies
that use sugar in their products must send
a statement from the sugar supplier that
guarantees that they do not use animal products
in the production of the sugar.
I
don't think you should certify products
that are not organic...contain petroleum
products...contain hydrogenated oils...etc.
We
understand and sympathize with these concerns.
One of the goals of Vegan Action is to create
growth in the vegan marketplace and increase
the availability of vegan products. Our
primary reason for promoting a vegan lifestyle
is to protect animals from suffering.
Vegan Action is very concerned with the
health of humans and of our environment,
but we realize that in order to accomplish
our goal of protecting animals, there needs
to be a large variety of animal free alternatives.
We recognize that veganism must come to
the mainstream before major changes will
happen with animals and the environment.
The only restrictions we are willing to
put on our certification is: vegan or not
vegan. Other separate companies issue trademarks
for organic, no trans fats, etc.
We
truly believe that purchasing power will
have an impact on companies that use chemicals
and animal products in their manufacturing.
Let them know that you don't want these
chemicals to be used! When companies see
that it is profitable to market environmentally
and animal friendly products- the market
will boom with new products.
For
more information, e-mail us at certification@vegan.org.
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