VEGAN CERTIFICATE
The word Vegan was coined in 1944 by Elsie Shrigley and Donald Watson, with the derivation of the word Vegetarian. The type of nutrition and life in which the products of animal origin are removed their lives and the plant life and vegetarian diet are preferred is called "Vegan". The word vegetarian comes the Latin "Vegetus". In the definition made in 1842, it means lively, healthy, full of life. Individuals who are fed in accordance with the type of diet in which meat and meat products animal food sources are not consumed, but animal products (such as milk, eggs, honey, wool, silk, leather, etc.) are consumed in different combinations are called "vegetarians".
With the increasing demand for vegan and vegetarian products, producers and consumers are looking for specific labels and signs that guarantee the conformity of the product, regardless of complex ingredient information and food code numbers. The unilateral declaration of the manufacturers, the presence of some auxiliary materials used in the process but not specified in the product, necessitate the existence of intermediary institutions that act in a controlled manner and have the same sensitivity. The activity and certificate of this activity that inspects, registers, controls and gives confidence to this culture whether the production is realized as required by vegan or vegetarian terms is called “Vegan-Vegetarian Certificate”.
There are four different Label sub-definitions according to the contents and production processes of the products:
* Vegan: Vegan labeling is done when no animal products, including milk, eggs, honey, are used in your products and production processes.
* Lacto Vegetarian: If only milk or milk-based products of animal origin are used in the content and production of your products, Lacto Vegetarian labeling is done.
* Ovo Vegetarian: If only egg or egg-based products of animal origin are used in the content and production of your products, Ovo Vegetarian labeling is applied.
* Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian: If only milk and egg-based products of animal origin are used in the content and production of your products, Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian labeling is applied.
VEGAN IN TURKEY
Most of the food exporting companies producing in Turkey are unaware of the market or the size of the market, even though they have productions that can appeal to this large market. Our primary goal is to raise awareness among our producers in this area and to ensure that our food exporters meet the world vegan-vegetarian market with current conditions or with some minor revisions in the raw material and process process. This system, which opens new markets to the manufacturer, means a wider product variety and a more practical life for consumers. This certification system, which appeals to the Vegan and Vegetarian market, also creates an alternative for consumers with special nutritional preferences due to various food allergies.
VEGAN CERTIFICATE
After the application made by the producer organizations, the proposal and contract stage is started. If an agreement is reached at the proposal and contract stage, the audit and control stage is followed. The inspection and control process is a long process and includes production, product and content stages, visual and experimental methods and conformity due diligence activities. At the end of this process, a Vegan Certificate is given to the organization that has a positive audit. In summary; After the request stage in the producer, an application is made to the institution that issued the Vegan-Vegetarian Certificate. As a result of this application, the production, product content and stages are checked with visual and experimental methods and a Vegan-Vegetarian Certificate is obtained in case of compliance. The producer organization wishing to obtain a certificate must notify ISQ of all the compositions of the products it produces within the scope of this certificate and all the additives used during processing. Product ingredient statement After review by the ISQ application evaluation team, products are differentiated as "vegan" or "vegetarian". The vegan or vegetarian certificate process, which conforms to the result of the evaluation, is operated.
How Vegan Certificate Controls Work
Depending on the product variety of the company, the audit is carried out on a date determined by the agreement between the organization that has completed the certification process in accordance with the procedures and the Audit Department, for not less than 1 day. In Vegan Certificate audits, the product, production process, infrastructure, environment and product (final product) test reports are examined by the auditor. If non-compliance with the standards is detected as a result of the examination, this situation is reported to the company. The manufacturer is informed that the detected nonconformities must be corrected within a maximum of 3 months, and the audit is concluded with the presentation of the audit report.
Vegan Certificate Incompatibility Issue
Organizations holding the certificate are obliged to always fulfill the conditions they have undertaken and fulfilled while obtaining the Vegan Certificate. Procedures violation Vegan producers are faced with the problem of cancellation of Vegan Certificate, if it is illegal and misleading information is given. This is announced to the consumers even after the certificate is revoked.
“As BELCERT Certification Body, you can contact us to benefit our Vegan Certificate Service and to get detailed information.”
