Certified Vegan: Ensuring Clear, Defensible and Compliant Marketing Claims in a Changing Regulatory Landscape

Exploring how undefined vegan terms and consumer expectations shape claims, highlighting the need for clarity + evidence to avoid misleading consumers

Learning Points

1. Recognise the absence of a legal definition of “vegan” across major markets
   Participants will learn that in key markets, including UK, the US, APAC and the Middle East have no statutory definition of “vegan,” meaning regulators fall back on general misleadingness tests and consumer interpretation when assessing vegan claims.
2. Understand the foundational definition of veganism and how it guides consumer expectations
   Drawing on established definitions (e.g., The Vegan Society), attendees will understand that veganism excludes animal derived ingredients and is widely interpreted by consumers as excluding all forms of animal testing, shaping how “vegan” claims are understood in practice.
3. Appreciate how regulatory bodies judge vegan and cruelty free claims in the absence of definitions
   Participants will explore how organisations such as the ASA, FTC, and regulators in APAC and the Middle East assess claims based on the likely consumer interpretation, making clarity around both ingredients and testing essential.
4. Identify how consumer expectations around veganism and non animal testing exceed formal regulation
   The session will demonstrate that although “vegan” and “cruelty free” are separate concepts legally, consumers consistently merge the two – creating risk where definitions are unclear or not supported by evidence.
5. Understand why transparent evidence of ingredient origin and non animal testing is critical
   Delegates will learn why regulators expect robust documentation to support both aspects of veganism – ingredient status and testing status – to avoid misleading claims in diverse global markets.