The Times (London)
LONDON, ENGLAND, October 18, 2004: According to the article, Britain now has four million vegetarians and the market for this segment of the population generates over US$1.5 billion a year. With this in mind, the Food Standards Agency has been lobbying with supermarkets and manufacturers to establish rules for labelling vegan and vegetarian foods. Within a year the agency hopes to institute an amiable solution for both parties. Presently there is a label called “suitable for vegetarians.” However, the article points out that many foods that are labelled suitable for vegetarians are not acceptable. The article explains, “Often a product may not contain an animal ingredient, yet its formation depends on an industrial process that uses animal or fish extracts. Many yoghurts and ice-cream, for example, contain animal gelatin, which is produced by boiling the skin, bones, fats and tissue of cattle and pigs. This can even be used to remove sediments in fruit juices. Yet this information is rarely provided on labels.” However, spokeswoman for the British Retail Consortium suggests that the proposed rules may be too strict and says, “Trying to bolt on extra issues to dietary definitions would simply add extra layers of bureaucracy for retailers and restrict choice for the majority of consumers.” Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat environment and animal welfare spokesman, says, “The Food Standards Agency needs to recognize that this is a real problem. We have a range of products that are not properly labelled. Many people would be appalled if they were eating any meat product in a food.” The Food Standards Agency agrees by stating, “The presence of processing agents derived from animals on a food labelled suitable for vegetarians is against the rules, and companies could face legal action by Trading Standards.”