Vegan labelling requirements in India, new rules in 2023

In June 2022, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare/Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) published new requirements for products labelled as ‘vegan’.

These requirements were published in the Gazette of India as Food Safety and Standards (Vegan Foods) Regulations, 2022, and will come into effect on 26 January 2023.

The standards define ‘vegan food’ as any food or component that contains no animal products. The standard covers all the ingredients used in the product as well as the testing process used in the development of the vegan product. It also sets out specific rules about how vegan food should be labelled, which includes the requirement for a plant-based logo to be used.

The new requirements state: “No vegan food products shall be imported except with a certificate issued by the recognized authorities of the exporting countries in the format as specified by the Authority [FSSAI] is accepted.”

Any product imported into the country will need to comply with the new labelling rules.

MPI, as the recognised New Zealand authority for food commodities, said in a statement that it cannot offer official assurances on the requirements set out in this standard. Therefore, after 26 January 2023, the MPI has recommended that manufacturers not use the label ‘vegan’ on any food products being exported to India or do so at full commercial risk.

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