What criteria must be met for a product to be labeled vegetarian? How can we label our product to alert vegetarians who do not eat dairy or egg products?
(June 2011) Neither FDA nor FTC has any labeling regulations for vegetarian statements, other than being “truthful and not misleading.” The most conservative course of action is to ensure that the product is free of any animal-derived ingredient or ingredient components and use the term “vegan” when appropriate. This means that the product has no ingredients from animal origin such as milk, eggs, honey or gelatin. Since there are different types of vegetarians, it is also possible to include a clarifying statement defining the type of vegetarian for which the product is intended to ensure that the statement is clear to the consumer and meets the “truthful and not misleading” requirement for all labels (e.g., this product is suitable to lacto-ovo vegetarians).
