A “vegan” label on a food product does not guarantee that it is free from allergens associated with animal-derived foods; however, the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) found that 54 percent of people who react to foods of animal origin sometimes use vegan labeling to indicate whether a product is safe to eat. Therefore, to address the misconception that “vegan” labels carry the same meaning as “free-from” labels and to raise awareness about precautionary allergen labeling, FSA is launching the educational “Vegan Food and Allergens Campaign.”
“Free-from” allergen claims are held to strict requirements to ensure the label actually ensures the safety of a food to certain hypersensitive individuals. “Vegan” labels, on the other hand, might suggest that animal products are not actually present in a food, but the label is not about food safety and does not mean it is safe for allergic consumers.