Multiplesymbols have been developed to representlacto-vegetarianism andveganism. Several are used on foodpackaging, including voluntary labels such asThe Vegan Society trademark or theV-Label (with support of theEuropean Vegetarian Union[1][2]) as well as thevegetarian and non-vegetarian marks mandated by theIndian government.[3] Symbols may also be used by members of the vegetarian and vegan communities to represent their identities, and in the course ofanimal rights activism.[citation needed]
Packaged food andtoothpaste[4] products sold inIndia are required to be labelled with a mark in order to be distinguished betweenlacto-vegetarian andnon-vegetarian.[3][5][6][7][8] The symbol is in effect following theFood Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Act of 2006, and received a mandatory status after the framing of the respective regulations (Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulation) in 2011.[3] According to the law, vegetarian food should be identified by a green symbol and non-vegetarian food with a brown symbol. They are defined as:
"Vegetarian food must have a symbol of a green color-filled circle inside a square with a green outline prominently displayed on the package, contrasting against the background on the principal display panel, in close proximity to name or brand name of the food."
"Non-vegetarian food (any food which contains whole or part of any animal including birds, marine animals, eggs, or products of any animal origin as an ingredient, excluding honey, milk or milk products), must have a symbol of a brown color-filled circle inside a square with a brown outline prominently displayed on the package, contrasting against the background on the principal display panel, in close proximity to the name or brand name of the food."[9]
In 2021,FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) adopted a new symbol for non-vegetarian food items due to concerns that the combination of the old symbols were difficult for people with colour blindness to distinguish. The new symbol is that of a brown color-filled triangle inside a square with a brown outline.[10][11]
In September 2021, the FSSAI announced adoption of the new vegan symbol.[12][13]
TheV-Label, a V with a leaf, originated with theEuropean Vegetarian Union. The V-Label is a standardised international vegan and vegetarian label supported by theEVU with the aim of easy identification of vegan and vegetarian products and services.[14]
The Vegetarian Society Approved trademark is the world’s first vegetarian accreditation symbol and appears on thousands of products worldwide. It was created in 1969 by theVegetarian Society who were established in 1847 and invented the word "vegetarian".[citation needed]
Any product displaying the Vegetarian Society Approved vegetarian trademark has been independently checked by the Vegetarian Society and meets these criteria:[15]
The Vegan Trademark, with its iconic sunflower, is an internationally recognised standard fromThe Vegan Society (who coined the term 'vegan'). It certifies products with the aim of easy identification of vegan products. Launched in 1990, it was the first vegan verification scheme. Any product displaying The Vegan Society's Vegan Trademark has been independently checked by The Vegan Society met these criteria:
Over 70,000 products are registered with the Vegan Trademark.
The enclosedv (modeled after theenclosed A symbol) is a popular vegan symbol, especially onsocial networks where it is represented by the Ⓥ symbol of theEnclosed AlphanumericsUnicode block. This lowercase "V" inside a circle is not used to label products as vegan nor should be relied upon to determine if a product is vegan. A kosher organization (Vaad Hoeir of St. Louis) owns and uses a US trademark (certification mark) consisting of an uppercase V inside a circle.[16]
On internet forums and social networks, theseedlingemoji (🌱) orgreenheart symbol emoji (💚) are sometimes used to symbolizeveganism or vegan products.[16]
Sometimes thepeace dovesymbol emoji (U+1F54A) is also used in vegan/animal rights contexts to convey bothpeace andfreedom/liberation fornon-human animals.
TheVeganarchy symbol, first introduced in print in Brian A. Dominick'sAnimal Liberation and Social Revolution pamphlet in 1995, combines the Circle-V with the Circle-A ofanarchist symbolism.[17]
The vegan flag[18] was designed in 2017 by a network group of graphic designers and activists from several countries. The group was opened by Gad Hakimi, a vegan activist and designer fromIsrael.[19][20][21] who intended it to be aCivil flag to represent veganism. The flag consists of three blue and green triangles forming the letter V, the first letter in the word "vegan".
Originally, some members of the group suggested that animals should be featured on the flag, with red colours featuring prominently to symbolize the blood of slaughtered animals.[22] However, the group eventually chose to make the flag about human–animal respect, not about animals themselves.[23] Inspired by the LGBTrainbow flag, the flag was created in hopes of uniting animal rights organizations and activists.The colours white, green, and blue were chosen to represent the natural habitats of animals: sky, land, and sea. The letter V stands for Vegan, and is an inverted pyramid intended to symbolize the ability to do the impossible.[24]
V-Label
The internationalV-Label supported by theEuropean Vegetarian Union is an internationally recognised and protected trademark for the labelling of vegetarian and vegan products.
The Vegetarian Society Approved vegan trademark was established in 2017 and appears on thousands of products worldwide. Any product displaying the Vegetarian Society Approved vegan trademark has been independently checked by theVegetarian Society and has met these criteria:
In 2022 McDonald's launched theirMcPlant burger across the UK, accredited with the Vegetarian Society Approved vegan trademark.[26]
In 2022, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has put in place regulations for vegan food products within the country.[27]The new rules clearly define what constitutes vegan food and how brands can label it.[28] The logo was designed by a Bengaluru-based, Food Science and Nutrition college student-Kruti Manish Rathore.[29]
The idea is a upside-down pyramid, to show that we can do the impossible. (min 0:37:55)
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