The "plant-based" is not just a trend. Αre you ready to seize the opportunity?
Vegan certification What is it
What does "vegan" mean? Foods and other products considered suitable for vegans are those that do not contain ingredients or raw materials of animal origin and have not been produced with the help of animals. Thus, meat and its by-products, dairy, fish, insects, honey, and eggs are not vegan, nor is any product that contains them.
- Recognition: V-Label is a highly recognizable certification body both locally and internationally. Certification from such an organization helps consumers choose this product among its alternatives, providing a competitive advantage on the shelf.
- Enhanced Transparency: Consumers increasingly seek products with clean labeling. Consumer research by V-Label reveals that 91% of consumers across 40 countries prefer products certified by an independent body that guarantees their nature, without the need to spend extra time reading the label. Similar findings observed in Greece, where 70% of consumers consider important for vegan or vegetarian products to bear a logo, such as the V-Label logo, according to HellasVeg’ s survey.
- Expansion to New Target Groups: Plant-based products are a rising trend. V-Label certification is an easy way for businesses to increase the appeal of their products, attracting flexitarian consumers as well. Flexitarians are those who desire to reduce their consumption of animal meat.
- Increase Sales: Producers can benefit from the increased trust consumers show in the V-Label logo. According to a V-Label survey, consumers are more willing to pay more for a product with the V-Label logo compared to the same product without it.
Vegan certification The certifier
V-Label GmbH was founded in 1996 in Switzerland, and its trademark is owned by the European Vegetarian Union (EVU).
The V-Label is an internationally recognized, registered symbol for vegan and vegetarian products and services. Worldwide, over 70,000 products from more than 4,800 licensees now bear the V-Label.
Today, it has 50 local partners in various countries worldwide, speaking more than 30 different languages. Greekexports joined the effort to promote plant-based products in the food and cosmetics industries in 2020, becoming the 28th local partner of V-Label with exclusive responsibility for Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Egypt.
For more information, you can visit the official website of V-Label at:
https://www.v-label.com/get-certified/
The Greekexports team will be there for you in every need.
GREEKEXPORTS SMPC Around the World
140 clients in 2025
Vegan certification What is it
The term "vegan" refers to the origin of the ingredients that make up a product or to the dietary profile of the consumers who choose it.
V-Label provides credibility to the products it certifies, as it is based on standard criteria developed by v-label, with conformity verified through independent external audits.
When you purchase a vegan product that bears the V-Label logo, you can be sure of the following:
- Does not contain meat, dairy products, or other ingredients of animal origin.
- No processing aids of animal origin have been used during the production process.
- The production site has successfully passed an audit against the V-Label criteria conducted by an independent auditing body.
- Does not contain genetically modified ingredients (non-GMO).
- Measures are implemented to prevent or minimize cross-contamination with ingredients of animal origin.
Significance Why is it Important
The market for vegan and vegetarian foods is constantly growing, as more and more consumers are transitioning to plant-based options. The market for plant-based products in Europe and the United Kingdom is projected to reach 7.2 billion euros by 2025, compared to the estimated €4.4 billion in 2019, according to ING Think.
Consumers seem to reduce animal-based products without necessarily following a vegan or vegetarian diet. According to Euromonitor research in 2020, 42% of global consumers represented this trend (flexitarian diet), while vegans and vegetarians accounted for only 4% and 6% respectively. In Greece, the percentage of flexitarians reached 25%. The reasons for this trend vary (ProVeg Market Data Compilation, 2019).
V-Label is a leader in the global market for plant-based products, offering:
- Transparency: Thanks to standardized criteria and specifications, consumers can easily recognize vegan and vegetarian products among others.
- Guidance: With the help of specialized scientists and technologists in the plant-based sector, V-Label serves as a guide for industry inquiries as well as everyday consumer shopping.
- Trust: Due to thorough inspections outlined by the standard, both the industry and the consumer can be confident that the certified product follows specific guidelines.
Frequently Asked Questions
In Europe, V-Label has been established mainly in the food sector, making it the best-known company in this sector for years, according to research. V-Label is currently making its entry into the cosmetics sector as well, followed by cleaning products and other non-food products.
In Greece, the product categories that have been certified vegan with the V-Label to date are the following:
- Meat alternatives
- Dairy alternatives
- Ready-to-eat foods
- Snacks
- Sweets
- Sauces & Dressings
- Drinks
- Cosmetics
- Personal hygiene products
- Cleaning agents (insect repellent, laundry detergents)
- Non-food products (e.g. paints)
The certification process consists of 6 simple steps:
- Registration of the expression of interest.
- Issuance of a personalized offer.
- Signing the offer and agreement.
- Initiation of the certification process and evaluation of product.
- Approval and issuance of the certificate.
- Audit by an independent body
From the acceptance of the offer and signing of the contract, the time frame until the certificate is issued ranges from 2 to 6 weeks.
The cost of certification is annual and includes product evaluation and the right to use the V-Label logo. The offer is issued per product code and is additionally determined based on the nature of each product. An additional cost is also expected for the inspection.
V-Label certifies products not only based on their composition, but also throughout every stage of the production process. This comprehensive approach makes the V-Label a trusted symbol of reliability and confidence for consumers.
By simply reading the list of ingredients on the label, you cannot be sure whether the product is vegan or vegetarian. Some additives are listed using E-numbers (such as E441 for gelatin), whereas the listing of certain other ingredients on the label is optional.
Lastly, the origin of certain ingredients (e.g., additives) is not mandatory to be disclosed on labels, which does not provide a clear indication of whether they are of animal or plant origin.
The production process must be designed in a way that excludes the possibility of contamination of certified products with animal-derived ingredients.
According to V-Label criteria, the total percentage of cross-contamination with animal products and by-products should not exceed 0.1% (1g/kg) in the end product. In case this limit is exceeded, the producer is urged to improve all stages of the production process.
According to the European Vegetarian Union (EVU), the claim that a food is vegan or vegetarian does not exclude the accidental presence of animal-derived products if it is practically unavoidable for the company. A necessary prerequisite is that all stages of production, processing, and distribution are appropriately designed based on Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).
Therefore, products that mention traces can receive V-Label certification under two conditions: A) the use of animal by-products during the production process is not intentional, and B) there is an appropriate cleaning process that ensures the contamination does not exceed the limit of 0.1% in the end product. However, the declaration of allergen traces is at the discretion of the company.
V-Label does not certify the following products or products that contain the following ingredients:
- Meat products
- Fats from fish, fish parts, or other seafood
- Animal-derived aromatic substances (excluding dairy)
- Eggs (e.g., caviar), except for chicken eggs
- Dairy products made with animal rennet
- Royal jelly
- Colorings derived from animal by-products (e.g., cochineal or carmine)
- Sugar processed with bone char powder
- Animal-derived carriers for additives (e.g., flavors) and other compounds
- Animal-derived clarifying agents (e.g., gelatin, isinglass)
Wine production involves the alcoholic fermentation of grape juice, a natural chemical process in which yeasts convert the sugars present in the grape juice into alcohol.
In recent years, vegan labels have increasingly appeared on wine bottles. Whether a wine is considered vegan depends not only on the ingredients used in its production, but also on the processing aids used during the winemaking process.
The fining process is a critical point in winemaking, as producers may use fining agents such as egg whites, gelatin, or milk casein to remove unwanted compounds and improve the wine’s clarity, stability, and overall quality.
Although these substances are subsequently removed during the filtration process and are therefore not present as ingredients in the final product, their use during production remains relevant to vegan certification, as the processing aids used must also comply with the V-Label criteria.