The "Certified Vegan" Logo is a registered trademark for products that do not contain animal products and that have not been tested on animals. The Logo is intended to be 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 represents—into the mainstream.
The "Certified Vegan" 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.
Please note that product certification refers to processes which are intended to determine if a product meets minimum standards, similar to quality assurance. All product certification programs are not created equal.
Some certifiers use an active means of maintaining and auditing the processes required for their particular certification.
- A good example of an "Active Certification" is the USDA Certified Organic
certification program where a producer or handler is approved by an Accredited Certifying Agent as being in compliance with the National Organic Program (NOP) regulations. Then, the Producer or Handler is authorized to sell, label, or represent products as being “certified organic”. - In active certification programs, your products may be audited or inspected at any time to ensure compliance and those who are non-compliant can be stripped of their certification which is then listed publicly (in this case on the USDA website).
- The USDA (responsible for overseeing the NOP) can and will fine those who willingly and knowingly violate the provisions of the program or for using the Certified Organic logo or terminology without going through the certification process.
- Status of Program: Active. Accepting new applicants.
Other certifiers use a passive means of maintaining and auditing their certification programs.
The Certified Vegan certification is an example of a "Passive Certification" program. To apply for permission to use the "certified vegan" logo, the producer or handler submits an application agreeing not to use banned ingredients, banned processes or animal testing. - There are no accredited auditors to verify the producer/handlers claims nor inspectors to ensure compliance. Unless the producer/handler notifies the certifier of any changes to their product, the certifier will likely never know. While the Vegan Action website provides a list of companies selling "certified vegan" products, they do not list companies who have violated or lost permission to use the logo.
- At this time, no information is available regarding the handling of violators of the Certified Vegan logo. Many companies have created their own Vegan standards and logos instead of applying for certification.
- Status of Program: Active for current Certified Products. Not accepting new applicants.
Both the Certified Organic and Certified Vegan programs require annual fees and annual re-submission. The similarity ends there. The two logos are non-inclusive of one another. Products may be Certified Organic without being Certified Vegan and vice versa.
More information is available regarding the "value" of each of these certification programs as pertains to public perception at www.GreenerChoices.org
The reality is this, Certification is only as good as the Certifier and the Certification Process. Before you spend time and money applying for certification for your product, research your investment. Some certifications aren't worth the paper they're printed on if they don't add value to your customer.*Did you find the series helpful and informative? We'd like to hear your feedback in the comments section!
Allison B. Kontur
www.BathBodySupply.com
2 comments:
Vegan and organic are really popular, but sometimes ambiguous terms that are used very often. Thanks for adding to our awareness and highlighting information on being certified.
It bothers me when I see products labeled with monikers that in no way describe the contents of the container. My hope is that by defining the terms being used and explaining how to make them credible will in turn help put consumers minds at ease. It's all about truth in advertising, and our industry needs as much credibility as it can get, especially now!
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