FSAI has warned that labelling food as ‘vegan’ doesn’t mean that they are animal-free

Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has commented that the label of ‘vegan’ on foods should be approached with caution as in the EU and Irish food laws there is no legal definition of ‘vegan’.

This means that foods labelled as ‘vegan’ are not guaranteed to be free of animal-derived ingredients such as egg, milk, fish, molluscs and crustaceans.

As plant-based diets are becoming increasingly popular in Ireland, the FSAI has stated that consumers should be aware that there can be ‘low-level accidental cross-contamination’ in products stated as ‘vegan’.

As ‘vegan’ is not legally defined in EU and Irish food laws, there are no limits as to how much animal-derived ingredients may accidentally appear in vegan food products.

“The FSAI is also urging food businesses who make vegan-labelled food to double their efforts to ensure that their production and packaging processes are sufficient to minimise the risk of cross-contamination with animal-derived ingredients,” the FSAI said in a statement

Chief Executive of the FSAI, Dr Pamela Byrne added: “Most people who follow dietary vegan or plant-based diets do not have allergies to animal-derived products, but for those who do, accidental cross-contamination of the foods labelled as vegan could have very serious health consequences.

“The five animal-derived food allergens must be declared at all times when used as ingredients to produce food.

“However, if a food is accidentally cross-contaminated, this will not be the case,”

“Only when such guidelines are available will susceptible consumers be better equipped to judge for themselves whether or not they can safely consume vegan foods.”

Article written by Martha Moody- United Kingdom