Overview of FSSAI Vegan Logo 

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, commonly known as FSSAI, has recently issued guidelines for the submission of an application for the endorsement of the vegan logo as per the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards (Vegan Foods) Regulations, 2022. The FSSAI introduced a new logo in September 2021 to help consumers easily identify and differentiate from non-vegan foods. It has the green colour “V” inscribed in the middle of a square box with a small plant on top of it and vegan written at the bottom. It resonates with the current logo for vegetarian and non-vegetarian food/products, i.e., a dot in the middle of a square. 

FSSAI Vegan Logo is globally recognised as a registered Trademark, similar to the kosher mark for vegan products. This is easily visible to consumers interested in vegan foods or vegan products and helps vegans shop without going through the ingredient lists. It helps companies recognise a growing vegan market and the lifestyle it represents in the mainstream. 

No one can manufacture, pack, sell, offer for sale, market, distribute or import any food as vegan food unless such food complies with the requirements of the FSSAI Regulations. Every packaging material that is used for vegan foods must comply with the provisions of the packaging regulations. As per the FSSAI Regulations, the seller of vegan food, either exclusively or as part of retail merchandise, must store and display such food in a manner distinguishable from all non-vegan food. And every package of vegan foods, after approval, must carry a logo specified by the FSSAI. 

According to the FSSAI Regulations, the Food Business Operators (FBO) must ensure that at all stages of production, processing and distribution, the appropriate precaution have taken place in conformity with Good Manufacturing Practices in a way to avoid the unintended presence of any non-vegan substance. If a similar production line is shared with non-vegan products or ingredients, then thorough cleaning or comparable measures in conformity with manufacturing practices must be carried out before the production of vegan products commences. The FBO mandatorily comply with any other requirements as specified by the food authority to main the integrity of vegan foods or food ingredients or products on a timely basis. No vegan food products are imported except with a certificate issued by the recognised authorities of the exporting countries, as the format specified by the authority is accepted.   

Products Eligible for FSSAI Vegan Logo 

The food or food ingredient, including the additives, flavourings, enzymes and carriers, or processing aids that are not products of any animal origin and at no stage of production and processing, ingredients including the additives, flavourings, enzymes and carriers or processing aids that are of any animal origin has been used are defined as vegan foods as per the FSSAI Regulations on Vegan Foods. And such vegan foods are eligible to endorse FSSAI vegan food logo on them. 

Further, the food products, which are called vegan, must not have involved animal testing for any purpose, including safety evaluation, unless provided by any of the Regulatory Authority. 

Vegan foods are those that are not made using any ingredients, additives and processing aids of animal origin, including milk and milk products, fish, poultry, meat, egg or egg products, honey or honey products, materials of insect origin like silk, dyes, chitin/chitosan etc., or ingredients that are clarified using animal-sourced products such as bone bar used in sugar bleaching, isinglass in clarifying beer, etc. Vegan food products or ingredients do not involve animal testing to evaluate the safety of the final product, or ingredients do not contain any animal-derived GMOs or products prepared using an animal-derived gene for manufacturing the ingredients or products.  

Documents Required to endorse FSSAI Vegan Logo 

Following is the list of documents and information required while applying for endorsement of the FSSAI Vegan Logo on the food products:

• Name and address of applicant Food Business Operators (FBO)
• License number
• Authorised person
• Contact details
• Name of product, i.e., brand name or generic name
• Nearest food category 
• A statement clarifying that the product is domestically produced or imported
• Copy of label 
• Declaration of compliance with the extant FSSR
• CoA from FSSAI notified labs
• A statement clarifying whether the product is certified as vegan by any third party
• In the case of third-party certification, 

1. Name and address of certification agency 
2. Process or product certification
3. Conditions complied for obtaining the certification
4. Copy of logo and label containing the logo 
5. Products available in the market with the above-mentioned logo 
6. Pre-printed packaging material to the Food Authority 

• Tentative design of label with Vegan logo complying to the extant Food Safety and Standards Regulations
• Self-declaration that product is free from animal origin. 

Procedure to endorse FSSAI Vegan Logo

FSSAI issues the guidelines for submission of an application for the endorsement of a vegan logo, and these guidelines comprise of following procedure for the same:

• The Food Business Operators (FBO) must submit an application in the prescribed Form A and all the required documents.
• At the time of submission, the FBO has to make payment of the requisite fee to the Senior Accounts Officer.
• Food Authority then scrutinises the application and the documents provided by the applicant FBO. 
• Food Authority either grants approval or rejects the application as per Form B. 
• The applicant FBO files an appeal before the Chief Executive Officer, Food Authority, against the rejection of the application. 
• If still not satisfied, then the aggrieved FBO files a review petition to be placed for consideration in a meeting of the Food Authority.
• For any relevant reason/reasons to be recorded in writing, Food Authority suspends or revokes any approval granted to the FBO.
• If any case, an FBO believes that the approved vegan food poses any risk to health or does not comply with the general requirement of FSSAI Regulations, then such FBO shall immediately suspend the manufacture, import, sale or distribution of such food article and take steps to recall the same under the intimation to Food Authority as per the provisions of Food Safety and Standards (Food Recall) Regulations, 2017. 
• Food Safety Officers and other designated officers must immediately inform the Food Authority of any complaint received regarding the safety of the product approved by the Food Authority. 
• After granting the approval, FBO applies for a license as per the procedure specified in FSSAI Regulations, 2011.