FSSAI Vegan Certification

Overview of FSSAI Vegan Certification

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, usually referred to as FSSAI, has currently issued suggestions for the submission of a utility for the endorsement of the vegan brand, in line with the provisions of the Food Protection and requirements (Vegan meals) policies, 2022. The FSSAI introduced a new logo in September 2021 to help clients without difficulty perceive and differentiate between non-vegan ingredients. It has the green colour “V” inscribed inside the centre of a rectangular box with a small plant on top of it, and vegan written at the bottom. It resonates with the modern logo for vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals/products, i.e., a dot within the middle of a square.

FSSAI Vegan brand is globally regarded as a registered Trademark, much like the kosher mark for vegan merchandise. This is easily seen by purchasers interested in vegan foods or vegan merchandise, and facilitates vegans saving without going through the ingredient lists. It enables agencies to recognise a growing vegan market and the lifestyle it represents in the mainstream.
No person can manufacture, pack, sell, offer for sale, marketplace, distribute or import any meals as vegan food except such food complies with the necessities of the FSSAI policies. Every packaging material that is used for vegan meals ought to comply with the provisions of the packaging regulations. As in step with the FSSAI rules, the vendor of vegan meals, either completely or as part of retail products, must store and display such meals in a manner distinguishable from all non-vegan food. And every package of vegan ingredients, after approval, should convey a logo approved by the FSSAI.

What are the Benefits of FSSAI Vegan Certification?

1. Legal Protection and Avoiding Penalties:

The criminal requirements surrounding the meals industry in India are strict. Acquiring an FSSAI license ensures that your commercial enterprise complies with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Non-compliance can result in hefty penalties that may hinder your business’s growth. With an FSSAI license, you avoid those legal complications.

• Heavy Fines: operating without an FSSAI license could lead to fines of as much as ?five lakh or imprisonment for up to six months. By means of acquiring the license, your enterprise is legally covered from such severe effects.

2. Strengthening logo reputation and consumer belief:

Purchasers are getting increasingly aware of the first-class and protection of the food they consume. A FSSAI license shows you’re your food business prioritises food protection and satisfaction, assisting in building consideration and credibility with your target market.

• Competitive benefit: The FSSAI license emblem on your product packaging offers you an aggressive facet, as customers are more likely to accept as true with a brand that adheres to safety requirements. It reassures them that your merchandise is safe to devour.

3. Making sure meals are safe and high-quality:

The FSSAI license ensures that food companies observe strict food safety requirements. This includes rules associated with the handling, packaging, and storage of meals merchandise, which are often inspected by means of the authorities.

• Ordinary Audits: FSSAI-certified organisations go through regular audits to ensure that food protection protocols are being followed at each step of production and distribution. This enables reducing the threat of foodborne illnesses and ensures the product is great

4. Facilitating enterprise enlargement and boom:

An FSSAI license is usually a requirement for enterprise enlargement. It lets ou to get right of entry to large retail networks, export markets, and online platforms. The credibility that incorporates being FSSAI certified can also make it less difficult to comfy funding or attract traders.

What are the Requirements for FSSAI Vegan Certification?

Following is the listing of documents and records required while applying for endorsement of the FSSAI Vegan emblem on the food products:

• Call and cope with of applicant meals commercial enterprise Operators (FBO)

• License number

• Authorised person

• Contact details

• Call of product, i.e., logo name or typical call

• Nearest meals class

• An announcement clarifying that the product is regionally produced or imported
  reproduction of the label assertion of compliance with the extant FSSR CoA from FSSAI
  notified labs

• An assertion clarifying whether or not the product is licensed as vegan with the aid of any third party

In the case of third-party certification,

• Call and cope with of certification agency

• System or product certification

• Situations complied with for acquiring the certification

• Copy of the emblem and label containing the emblem

• Products available in the market with the above-referred-to brand

• Pre-printed packaging material for the food Authority

• Tentative design of label with Vegan brand complying with the existing food protection and requirements rules
  Self-announcement that the product is free from animal ingredients.

What are the Fees for FSSAI Vegan Certification?

FSSAI has revised application fees for the Vegan Logo from Rs. 25000/- (excluding GST) per product to Rs. 10000/- (excluding GST) per application, irrespective of the number of products.

Why is FSSAI Vegan Certification Important?

• Authenticity & Consumer Trust:
  The certification confirms that a product is truly vegan — free from animal ingredients and not tested on animals — building trust among conscious consumers.

• Regulatory Compliance:
  It ensures that food businesses comply with the Food Safety and Standards (Vegan Foods) Regulations, 2022, avoiding penalties or legal issues.

• Market Advantage:
  With the rising demand for plant-based products, certified vegan labeling helps brands stand out and attract a growing segment of vegan and health-conscious buyers.

• Export Opportunities:
  Vegan certification enhances credibility in global markets, where plant-based certifications are often mandatory or preferred.

• Brand Image & Sustainability:
  It strengthens a brand’s reputation as ethical, sustainable, and cruelty-free, aligning with modern consumer values.

How to Apply for FSSAI Vegan Logo Endorsement?

FSSAI issues the hints for submission of a utility for the endorsement of a vegan brand, and those guidelines incorporate of following technique for the same:

• The meals commercial enterprise Operators (FBO) need to publish an application in the prescribed form A and all of the required documents.

• At the time of submission, the FBO has to make fee of the requisite fee to the Senior Money Owed Officer.

• Food Authority then scrutinises the application and the documents supplied by way of the applicant FBO.
  Food Authority both presents approval or rejects the utility, as in keeping with form B.

• The applicant FBO documents an attraction earlier than the Chief Government  Officer, Food Authority, against the rejection of the utility.
  If still not glad, then the aggrieved FBO files an evaluation petition to be located for attention in a meeting of the Meals Authority.

• For any applicable cause/reason to be recorded in writing, Meals Authority suspends or revokes any approval granted to the FBO.

• If any case, an FBO believes that the permitted vegan meals poses any risk to fitness or does now not follow the general requirement of FSSAI policies, then such FBO shall at once droop the manufacture, import, sale or distribution of such meals article and take steps to consider the identical under the intimation to food Authority as in step with the provisions of food protection and standards (food do not forget) regulations, 2017.

• Food safety officials and different unique officers must immediately report to the food Authority of any grievance acquired regarding the protection of the product accepted by the food Authority.

• After approval, FBO applies for a license in line with the technique specified in the FSSAI rules, 2011.

Conclusion

The FSSAI vegan certification is a significant initial step in working to bring India’s food safety standards in line with the growing demand for a plant-based product offering. FSSAI provides transparency, consumer trust, and protection from false vegan claims with a vegan logo and zoning disclaimers. The certification protects consumer health by stipulating that vegan products do not contain any animal-derived ingredients, while also lending authenticity to businesses working in this emerging market.

Food business operators (FBOs) benefit by ensuring legal compliance, credibility in the marketplace, entering new markets, and entering into global trade. With the documentation process simplified and fees recomposed, it has become easier to complete regardless of business size or experience.

As the interest in veganism grows in India and the world, the support of the FSSAI is clear as they position themselves to support sustainable diets, animal welfare, and effective resource use. Given this is emerging as a long-term food solution for businesses, it makes sense to obtain the FSSAI vegan certification, with numerous benefits it will provide beyond just legality.

eStartIndia will help you with FSSAI Registration from the comfort of your home.

Author:

ANANYA AGGARWAL
Delhi, India
KCC Institute of legal and higher education, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University