Vegan consumers in China will now find it easier than ever to choose vegan food as the China Vegan Society introduces a certification program.
The vegan movement in China is gaining momentum, as seen with the launch of the China Vegan Food Certification (CVFC) program on March 31, 2023.
Developed over two years by a committee led by the China Vegan Society, the Beijing Soybean Foods Association, and the China Biodiversity Conservation & Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF), the CVFC offers two certifications for vegan products: the Vegan Food Certification and the Vegan & Pungent-Free Food Certification.
The CVFC was created to standardize vegan claims within the Chinese market, increase transparency and consumer trust in vegan products, and encourage consumers and food producers to make animal-free choices.
The new certification aligns with international vegan standards and offers a subcategory for in-demand “Buddhist-friendly” vegan products, explains the China Vegan Society. Currently, the program only certifies food products.
Two vegan food certificates
The China Vegan Society runs the CVFC, while the country’s largest organic food certification body, CHCC, is the exclusive third-party verifier. The Vegan Food Certification verifies that a product uses no animal ingredients or animal-derived substances at any point in its production, making it compliant with international vegan standards.
The world’s first Vegan & Pungent-Free Food Certification also certifies that a product is free from all allium vegetables and asafoetida (the”five pungent vegetables”), making it compliant with international vegan standards and specific religious dietary requirements.
“Because vegan standards [in China] lacked necessary industry standards and local development, it has been difficult to achieve standardization, which in turn limits the sustainable development of the [vegan] industry,” said Ryan Lee, associate business development director of Green Monday.
First CVFC companies
The certification committee revealed the first cohort of China Vegan Food Certification recipients last month:
- Plant-based innovation platform Green Monday (Hong Kong)
- Vegan farm, restaurant, and retail complex Veggie Ark Future Space (Dali)
- Tea extract innovator Deepure (Tianjin)
- Alternative dairy startup Yeyo (Beijing)
- Vegan e-commerce platform Ecobuyer (Beijing)
- Vegan OEM Seleglu (Huzhou)
- Plant-based functional beverage startup GENBEN (Shanghai)
- China’s largest vegan buffet restaurant chain Su Man Xiang (Ningbo)
- TCM health food brand Liu Wei Zhi Ji (Sichuan)
- International food supplier Shu Niang Jia (Sichuan).
Business owners worldwide can apply to certify any eligible product, with three different certification categories corresponding to the type of product and the inspection procedures involved.
“The CVFC is an important step towards a more sustainable and vegan-friendly future in China. It is a shared flag of a growing community, clearing a path for collective growth,” says the China Vegan Society.
Original source: https://vegconomist.com
