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What is the Certified Vegan Logo?
Distributed and recognized globally, the Certified Vegan Logo is a registered trademark for products that do not contain animal products or byproducts and that have not been tested on animals. The certified logo is easily visible to consumers interested in vegan products and helps vegans to shop without constantly consulting ingredient lists. It also helps companies recognize a growing vegan market, as well as bringing the word Vegan—and the lifestyle it represents—into the mainstream. (Please keep in mind, however, that the logo is not yet on every vegan product.) The Certified Vegan Logo is currently on thousands of products manufactured by over 1000 companies.
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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 assisting vegan-friendly businesses.
NOTE: The Certified Vegan Logo is permitted on products owned by companies and manufacturers located in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and US territories but is distributed and recognized worldwide.
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Certified Vegan Standards
In order for a product to be approved for Vegan Certification, it must not contain meat, fish, fowl, animal by-products, eggs or egg products, milk or milk products, honey or honey bee products, insects or products from insects such as silk or dyes, or sugar filtered with bone char or be processed with any animal products or by-products.
Products may not contain or be sourced from leather, fur, silk, feathers, down, bone, horn, shell, wool, cashmere, shearling, angora, animal skin, suede, or mohair.
Sweeteners may not be filtered or processed with bone char.
Prebiotics and probiotics must be cultured on or with a culture medium free of animal products or by-products..
Liquids such as beer, wine, maple syrup, vinegar, and fruit juices may not be filtered, defoamed, or clarified with animal products.
Products must not have involved animal testing of ingredients or finished products by the manufacturer after the year 2009 for any type of research or testing purposes whatsoever to include environmental safety, feed or nutrition trials, toxicity testing, or animal tests or trials "as required by law" to include third-party testing and may not be tested in the future.
Products may not contain any animal-derived GMO's or animal-derived genes used to manufacture ingredients or finished product.
In addition, companies must submit and have approved by the Vegan Awareness Foundation that acceptable steps are taken to thoroughly clean and sanitize all surfaces, vessels, utensils, and machinery used between vegan and non-vegan production cycles to minimize cross-contamination if shared machinery is used.
No Animal Products
Products approved to carry the Certified Vegan logo must not contain animal products or ingredients of meat, fish, fowl, animal by-products (including silk or dyes from insects), eggs or egg products, milk or milk products, honey or honey bee products, or be clarified or finished with any animal products.
No Animal Testing
Animal Testing is defined by Vegan Action as the use of animals (live or deceased) for any type of research purposes whatsoever to include environmental safety, feed or nutrition trials, toxicity testing, or animal tests or trials "as required by law" including contracted testing by another company, since the year 2009 and does not intend to test on animals in the future. This must be confirmed for individual ingredients, ingredient components, as well as the final product.
No Animal GMO's
Products must contain no known animal-derived GMOs or genes used to manufacture ingredients or finished products.
Provide Verification
All ingredients must be verified that no animal products or animal by-products were not used in the manufacturing of ingredients or sub-ingredients.
What is the cost for getting products Certified Vegan?
There is a $100 non-refundable application fee to apply. If approved and finalized, this fee will be applied to your first annual licensing fee payment. All fees are in USD (United States dollar).
We ask for an annual licensing fee of each company (not for each product) for use of the trademarked “Certified Vegan” logo. The licensing fee is assessed by the company’s annual revenue from the previous fiscal year (not based on the vegan product or brand) and is due before permission is granted to use the “Certified Vegan” logo.
The licensing fee helps support the Vegan Certification program and promotes vegan products worldwide!
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I certify my company and vegan products?
Submit an application through our online form. NOTE: We do not certify companies, restaurants, food trucks, farms, or manufacturers – we certify individual products.
Why do you charge money for the certification?
Licensing fees help fund the certification program, protect the legitimacy and proper use of the trademark, and assure that the certification program will continue in the future. We charge an annual licensing fee (for an unlimited number of products/skus) based on the company's annual revenue from the previous fiscal year.
What is the time frame for completing certification?
It is different for every application dependent on the number of products being submitted and the number of ingredients per product. We cannot give an exact answer but we aim for 4-6 weeks (it may be 6-8 weeks for larger submissions). We politely ask that you do not inquire by phone or email as we will contact you once a Vegan Certifier begins to review your application.
Do you accept products that contain refined sugar?
We do not allow sugar (or other sweeteners) that are refined through bone char to carry the Certified Vegan Logo. For ingredients of cane sugar, beet sugar, corn syrup, coconut sugar, date sugar, molasses, agave, maple syrup, or brown rice syrup in products, we require a statement from the sugar manufacturer that guarantees that they do not use animal products or by-products in the production of that sweetener.
Do you accept products that are manufactured on shared machinery?
We do allow companies to use shared machinery (machinery that also runs products containing animal products/ingredients) in the production of their products, but most of those products carry a label that says so. Companies must provide documentation of the steps that 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 contain trace amounts of eggs or dairy for example. For this reason, a Vegan Certified Product may not be acceptable to individuals with food allergies.
How does Vegan Action define No Animal Testing?
The definition of ‘no-animal testing’ is defined as no use of animals (live or deceased) for any type of research or testing purposes whatsoever to include feed or nutrition trials, toxicity testing, or animal tests or trials "as required by law" and not being tested by another company or independent contractor since the year 2009 and will not be tested on animals in the future.*
*Learn about the PDCAAS Exception
Plant-based proteins have exploded in popularity, making the transition away from animal products easier, healthier, and more accessible. Because protein is a vital nutrient for muscle growth and other tissues, many companies want to highlight this benefit on their packaging. In the U.S., the FDA requires companies to use a Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) to determine the actual protein value of a food, which is then used to calculate the % Daily Value on the Nutrition Facts panel. The PDCAAS is a method that evaluates a protein’s quality based on how well the human body can digest it and use its amino acids. The PDCAAS has also been adopted by FAO/WHO as the preferred method for the measurement of the protein value in human nutrition.
Since 2014, the FDA has mandated animal feed trials to determine this score. The protein is fed to an animal, and its feces are collected for evaluation. As an animal welfare organization, this presents a conflict: our Certified Vegan guidelines prohibit animal testing conducted after 2009.
Despite our principles, we’ve made the difficult decision to approve these ingredients for Certified Vegan products for several reasons:
- Every major plant-protein manufacturer has now conducted these animal trials to meet FDA regulations.
- We believe that having more certified vegan products available makes it easier for people to choose plant-based foods. Labeling these products as “not vegan acceptable”, will deter people from choosing plant protein options, in direct opposition to our organization’s goal. This will maintain unethically high levels of animal suffering within the food industry and harm the movement towards a better world where less animals are eaten.
- Once a manufacturer has completed the PDCAAS evaluation, the FDA does not require repeated animal trials to maintain compliance.
Why should I certify my products as Vegan?
- Product is easily identifiable as vegan to consumers
- Certification fees are accessible to all
- Your company is listed on Vegan.org
- Product is promoted on Vegan Action's social media
- The Logo is a great marketing tool
- The logo provides third-party credibility to your vegan claim
How do I market “Certified Vegan” products?
We appreciate a company’s commitment to producing vegan products. We will be happy to assist your company in promoting your certified products. We also welcome samples and marketing information about nationally distributed vegan products for consideration on our website and social media feeds. Additionally, we can arrange for product samples to be distributed at the Richmond Vegetarian Festival. This annual event is one of the largest of its kind in the country, and boasts attendance in the 10,000 range.
What products do we Vegan Certify?
- food and beverages
- clothing and accessories
- vitamins and supplements
- cosmetics and personal care products
- textiles and household products
What are the benefits of Certified Vegan by Vegan Action?
- Increased consumer confidence, trust, and ease of selection
- Assurance that products conform with recognized vegan standards
- Cost-effective way to differentiate products from competition
- The logo provides third-party credibility to a vegan claim
What are some Common Ingredients that may be animal-based and found in products?
Lanolin, shellac, glycerine, caseinate, squalene, guanine, vitamin D, stearic acid, carmine, collagen, elastin, keratin, isinglass, castoreum, whey, gelatine, Hyaluronic acid, Chondroitin, enzymes, probiotics, omega-3s, etc. For a more detailed list, see this website for the A to Z listing.
What about Animal Testing that doesn't kill the animal?
We do not permit an ingredient or product that has been tested on any non-human animals in Certified Vegan products to include feed trials, skin tests, nutrition panels, etc. For that reason, some pet foods have not qualified for Vegan Certification.
Submit an application
Please fill out the online application and easily upload your documents through the application form. In addition, you must submit a $100 non-refundable application fee. If the application is approved and finalized, this fee will be applied to your first annual licensing fee payment.
Submitting an application does not give the authorization to use The Certified Vegan Logo until the application is approved and permission is granted by The Vegan Awareness Foundation.
Unauthorized use of the Certified Vegan Logo is a violation of Federal Trademark laws. Altering the Certified Vegan Logo in any way is a violation of Federal Trademark laws.