In recent years, more consumers are seeking plant-based alternatives, which is giving rise to the concept of veganism. The main reasons for such a shift are ethical considerations, health benefits, and religious beliefs. In response to this trend, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has introduced strict regulations to regulate the sale of vegan food products in the Indian market. For the first time, the Indian government has recognized vegan food, establishing regulatory compliance with manufacturing, distribution, importation, and packaging. FSSAI aims to ensure that the vegan food options available in the market for consumers are satisfied with their values and diet choices.
Vegan food market in India
The vegan food market in India is valued at $1.372.3 billion in 2023 and it is expected to reach $2.7–$3.8 billion by 2030 showcasing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.1%–10.7% between 2023–2030.
The major drivers for growing the market at such a pace are:
- Increasing consumer awareness towards health benefits associated with consumption of plant-based diets.
- A growing trend followed by the population of vegan people in India.
- Easy accessibility to such products.
India is a leading market for vegan meat, dairy, egg, and fast-food alternatives and to ensure the safety and quality of such products, FSSAI has recently drafted regulations for vegan foods in September 2021, as Food Safety and Standards (Vegan Foods) regulations 2022, specifying what vegan food means and what food business operators have to follow to refer to the product as vegan food.
What is the definition of vegan foods?
“vegan food” means the food or food ingredients, including additives, flavorings, enzymes, and carriers, or processing aids that are not products of animal origin and in which, at no stage of production and processing, ingredients, including additives, flavorings, enzymes, and carriers, or processing aids that are of animal origin has been used.
In simpler terms “Vegan food” refers to any food or ingredient that does not come from animals. This includes not just the main ingredients, but also any additives, flavorings, enzymes, or processing aids used in making the food. Vegan food is entirely plant-based and no animal products are used at any point during its production or processing.
What are the general requirements for vegan food?
1. Compliance Required: No one can make, sell, or distribute food labelled as vegan unless they follow these regulations.
2. No Animal Testing: Involvement of any animal testing in vegan products is not allowed, unless required by a regulatory authority.
3. Packaging Standards: The packaging materials used for packaging of vegan products must follow packaging regulations provided by FSSAI.
4. Good Manufacturing Practices: Food businesses must take the necessary steps required to ensure that the vegan product is not contaminated by any non-vegan substances while following Good Manufacturing Practices during production, processing, and distribution.
5. Clean Production Lines: If a single production line is used for both vegan and non-vegan products, it must be thoroughly cleaned while maintaining Good Manufacturing Practices before running the vegan food products through such lines. At the same time, all the equipment, machinery, surfaces, and utensils coming in contact must be cleaned for the same reason.
6. Precautions in Preparation: Before producing or packaging vegan products, businesses must ensure that all good manufacturing practices are followed.
7. Traceability: There must be a system designed to trace vegan products back to their manufacturer if required, and food business operators must comply with the additional requirements provided by the Food Authority to maintain vegan integrity of the products or ingredients from time to time.
8. Regulatory Compliance: All the relevant laws and regulations set forth by the authorities are applied for every vegan food or ingredient and must be followed strictly.
What are the regulatory and display requirements for vegan food?
(1) Anyone who is selling vegan food products whether exclusively or as part of retail merchandise should store and display vegan food in such a way that it can be easily differentiated from non-vegan food products.
(2) After the approval from FSSAI, every package containing vegan food products, should carry the vegan food logo provided as below.
(3) Along with the regulations provided by FSSAI for vegan food products, it should also follow the packaging and labeling requirements specified under the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, except clause (b) of sub-regulation (4) of regulation 5.
(*Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, except clause (b) of sub-regulation (4) of regulation 5, states that: Every package of Vegetarian Food containing ingredients including food additives, processing aids of plant origin shall bear a declaration to this effect by a symbol and color code as stipulated below. The symbol shall consist of a green color-filled circle inside a square with a green outline having a diameter not less than the minimum size specified in the regulation.)
Veg Logo
What is the process for vegan food compliance?
(1) To get compliance from FSSAI, Food Business Operators need to submit an application to the concerned licensing authority with all the necessary details as per the format provided by the Food Authority.
(2) For approval of vegan logo, the Food Authority may specify guidelines.
(3) Any vegan food product that is imported into the country must have a certification from the relevant authorities in the country of origin. These certificates need to follow the specific format provided by the local regulatory authority. In the absence of these certificates, such products cannot be legally imported.
The procedure involves the following steps
- Documents required: Application form, proof of premises, food products list, photo ID, address proof, FSMS plan, declaration form, and if your product contains water then, water testing report.
- Account creation on FSSAI FoSCoS portal: Fill name, email ID, etc, and create an account.
- Application form filling: Fill in the required details such as state, food products, business, etc.
- Documents uploading: Upload all the documents required.
- Registration fee payment: 10,000 Rs as government fee, Rs. 7500+GST as a professional fee(only with professional utilities), which makes total cost of Rs. 17,500+ GST per application irrespective of the product number for which it is applied.
- FSSAI Officer inspection: An officer from FSSAI will visit the facility, inspect each and every thing and submit an inspection report to concerned authorities.
- Verification: inspection report will be checked and verified with the documents submitted and details provided in the application.
- Registration grant: In case, all the legal requirements are met, registration certificate will be directly provided on the FoSCoS portal, where you can download it. Now you can use the vegan logo provided by FSSAI on your request.
- Registration renewal: The registration is provided for a particular period of time as provided in the FSSAI. After the expiry date you need to renew the same.
What does the vegan logo indicate?
The logo has a green box with a letter “V” in the centre to show that it is a vegan food. The leaf at the top represents the plant-based sources of the food, indicating its natural origin. The word “Vegan” at the bottom clearly differentiate these products from vegetarian products, making it easy for consumers to identify vegan foods.
Vegan products available in the market:
Vegan World: Eastern India’s First Distribution Company For Only Vegan Products
Top Vegan food brands available in India (According to VeganDukan)
- Vezley: Leading soya products supplier in India.
- Beyond meat: Leading plant-based meat company
- Wakao: India’s first Brand that makes products from Jackfruit.
- Veggie Champ: Mock meat but 100% vegetarian.
- Bluetribe: Provide meatless meat products
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