Testing for animal ingredients in vegan foods
Analyses to support the "vegan/vegetarian" claim
Sep 2022. The market for vegan and vegetarian food is growing steadily: Data from the German Federal Statistical Office show that more and more companies from the food industry and the retail sector are offering vegan and vegetarian products.[1] In this article we explain how these products have to be tested so that they can be labelled as vegan.
Quality assurance of vegan products at a glance
Like all foods, vegan products must be tested with regard to compliance for quality and safety. In addition to checking for contaminants such as mycotoxins, alkaloids, heavy metals, mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOSH, MOAH) or pesticide residues, allergens, microbiological contamination and sensory analysis also play a key role for suppliers and producers of vegan ingredients and products. In order to be able to declare their products as "vegan", food companies need to be able to prove that no ingredients of animal origin are added or used in their products.
Definition of the terms "vegetarian" and "vegan"
The German Conference of Consumer Protection Ministers of the Federal States (VSKM) agreed on definitions for "vegetarian" and "vegan" in its meeting on 22 April 2016.[2] These definitions are used as a basis by the authorities of the federal states responsible for food monitoring in Germany when assessing the labelling of foods labelled as "vegan" or "vegetarian".[3]
In detail, the German Guidelines for Vegan and Vegetarian Food[4] as well as the European Vegetarian Union (EVU)[6] specify that vegan foods are not products of animal origin and in which, at no stage of production and processing, use has been made of or the food has been supplemented with
- ingredients (including additives, carriers, flavours, and enzymes) or
- processing aids or
- non-food additives used in the same manner and for the same purpose as processing aids,
that are of animal origin.
According to section 1.1.3 of the Guidelines for Vegan and Vegetarian Food, unintentional traces of products that do not meet the above-mentioned requirements do not prevent a product from being labelled as vegan (or vegetarian) "insofar as these are technically unavoidable at all stages of production, processing and distribution, despite appropriate precautions taken in compliance with good manufacturing practice".
The private "V-Label", which is often used as a product label for vegetarian and vegan products, also tolerates corresponding traces of non-vegan substances. In addition, the "V-Label" specifies that products to be licensed may not carry any legally required GMO labelling.
With a broad analysis portfolio, we support food producers in the quality assurance of vegan products in order to meet the high demands of your customers. An important analysis segment in this context is the analysis of animal components:
Testing for animal ingredients
Two main methods are used to test for animal components in raw materials, food and feed:
- PCR-based methods for the detection of animal DNA
- ELISA-based methods for the detection of proteins of animal origin.
PCR can be used to test for taxonomic groups, such as mammals, birds or fish, or specifically for animal species (for example, cattle, pig, horse, chicken, sheep or goat). A specially developed, highly efficient DNA extraction method for gelatin, combined with a very sensitive PCR, allows the detection of minimal amounts of animal DNA even in gelatin, so that we can also support producers of gelatin sheets, ground gelatin or gelatin capsules. Protein-based analysis using ELISA also offers you the option of testing for egg, milk and whey proteins (e.g. casein, ß-lactoglobulin) as well as molluscs and crustaceans (tropomyosin).
The appropriate analysis for your products
We are happy to support you in the selection of suitable parameters and methods for the detection of animal species for your vegan and vegetarian products and offer you individual solutions. Please do not hesitate to contact your personal account manager or our expert Ulf Rathjens. We look forward to your enquiry.
Relevant sources
[1] German Federal Statistical Office: press release #N 025 from 9 May 2022
[2] Definitions vegan-vegetarian of the German Conference of Consumer Protection Ministers 2016 (VSKM); in German: TOP 20 der 12. VSMK am 22. April 2016
[3] German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture: Labelling of vegan and vegetarian foods; in German: Kennzeichnung veganer und vegetarischer Lebensmittel
[4] Guiding principles for vegan and vegetarian foods similar to foods of animal origin of the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture; in German: Leitsätze für vegane und vegetarische Lebensmittel mit Ähnlichkeit zu Lebensmitteln tierischen Ursprungs
[5] Online article of the magazine "Die Zeit" from 9 May 2022: Further increase in production of meat substitutes; in German: Produktion von Fleischersatzprodukten weiter gestiegen
[6] European Vegetarian Union Position Paper: Definitions of "vegan" and "vegetarian" in accordance with the EU Food Information Regulation
