The thing is, it’s not as straight-forward as that. There are many products on the market you’d buy with the expectation that they’re meat-free, but then it turns out that they contain some animal-derived ingredient. Gelatine is a good example. It’s made from collagen taken from animal body parts and is found in a wide variety of desserts, sweets and pastries. It’s also used for making the capsules for paracetamol and other medicines.

What does this mean? Well, there’s an ever-growing interest in ethical sourcing, and in the contents of whatever what we put into our mouths. The number of people who are vegan, or who are making concerted efforts to cut back on meat and meat products continues to rise.

Clearly, as you’ve no doubt noticed when you shop, food manufacturers are keen to shout about their vegan products as being vegan. More and more are using the vegan symbol – and persuading supermarkets to place their goods in the vegan sections in the fridges or on the shelves. The fact there are no hidden (in the small print of the ingredient list) animal-derived ingredients is a selling point for them.

As a supplier into the food industry, we need to support that requirement. Not just by telling them our products are meat and dairy free, but by gaining independent accreditation to prove it.

We are proud of our certification from The Vegan Society and will add it to our many quality and compliance certificates to demonstrate our commitment to the highest standards, best practice, and relevance to the market.