The Vegan Society and the New Zealand Vegetarian Society formally petitioned to ban misleading labelling of vegetarian and vegan products.
There is currently no legislation defining what is vegan or vegetarian, which has caused problems and confusion for many consumers. Therefore, societies have demanded additional legislation requiring factual and clear labelling of consumer products.
The current ambiguity in product labelling has created significant consumer confusion and undermined trust. The lack of stringent regulations regarding the use of terms like "plant-based," "vegetarian," and "vegan" has also created consumer confusion and diluted the integrity of these labels.
Transparent, standardised, and enforceable labelling regulations have become essential for protecting consumers and supporting informed, ethical purchasing decisions.
“We want to help consumers make ethical choices simply and easily. If a product is labelled as “vegan” or “plant-based”, then there should be no animal products or by-products in the food,” said Vegan Society spokesperson Claire Insley.
“All too often, foods with these labels are then found to contain milk solids, honey, etc. It is also confusing when foods have meaningless labels such as “Less dairy” or “Lower fat”; it is of no benefit to the consumer and does not help with making informed purchases.”
The current Food Standards Code provided a foundation for food labelling requirements but lacked specific provisions for vegan and vegetarian labelling, leading to ambiguity and confusion for consumers.
Introducing new provisions that standardise and clarify these terms would address these shortcomings, aligning with the Code's consumer protection objectives and fair-trade practices. This problem has been global and one that many countries have taken steps to correct, as it could be dangerous for people with allergies to dairy and eggs.
“We envision a future where consumers can make informed, ethical, and confident choices about the products they purchase. By advocating for clear, standardised, and enforceable labelling regulations, we aim to eliminate ambiguity and ensure transparency in the labelling of vegetarian and vegan products,” said Ina Babic of the NZ Vegetarian Society.
“The term "vegetarian" should be reserved for products that contain no meat, poultry, fish, or seafood. Additionally, any use of animal by-products (such as gelatine, rennet, or certain colourants) should be indicated.”
New Zealand consumers deserve to know what they are buying without having to read every ingredient on the ingredients label. If a product is labelled vegan or plant-based, it should mean that no animal products or by-products were used at any stage of the manufacturing process.
The term "vegetarian" should be reserved for products that do not contain meat, poultry, fish, or seafood. Animal by-products (such as gelatine, rennet, or certain colourants) should also be indicated.
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