In a release commemorating World Consumer Rights Day on Friday, 15 March, ProVeg South Africa emphasised the importance of ensuring food credibility, particularly in the context of vegan products.
According to ProVeg, an international food awareness organisation, if food credibility can be ensured for vegan products, it bodes well for the rights of all consumers when demanding similar high standards.
“Consumer rights, much like democracy itself, are something we only tend to have for as long as we can keep them,” stated ProVeg South Africa. “The cost of maintenance is in our own wariness, and the insistence that information about what our purchases contain and how they are made is authentic; that we are protected from fraudulent activity in the marketplace.”
Advocating for transparency and accountability
ProVeg highlighted the prevalence of food fraud, citing statistics from the United Nations that indicate food fraud impacts an estimated one percent of the global food industry and could cost up to $40 billion annually. They underscored the need for consumers to be vigilant, especially in industries like food where subterfuge is still commonplace.
“For those following plant-rich diets, manufacturers and consumers may not realise that some listed ingredients may not be vegan without doing prior research when creating and selecting a product,” noted ProVeg. “Examples of this include the ingredients shellac, a resin that is secreted by an insect on tree trunks, or even honey, which can be overlooked as non-vegan ingredients.”
ProVeg emphasised the necessity for independent certification bodies to ensure the credibility of food products, particularly for consumers following specific dietary preferences or restrictions. They pointed to the V-Label as an example of such a certification, which provides standardised criteria for vegan products and assists consumers in easily identifying them.
“If food credibility can be ensured for vegan products, then that bodes well for the rights of all consumers when demanding similar high standards,” concluded ProVeg South Africa.
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