Verify the claim A vegan claim and third-party vegan certification provide different evidence. Verify the issuing scheme and exact product, distinguish vegetarian marks, and read allergen information separately. A scanner supports ingredient checks but does not certify a product.
Check your own packetWhen a logo is unfamiliar, check both the claim's issuer and the ingredients. They answer different parts of the shopping question.
- Identify the scheme name and look up the exact product through its official issuer where a register is available.
- Use VeganCheckr to scan the packet's barcode or ingredient list and review any animal-derived or unclear ingredients.
- Check the packet, maker and certification scope when information disagrees. Keep allergen advice separate from the vegan decision.
VeganCheckr is available for iPhone and Android. Features and optional Premium access differ. Android photo recognition supports printed Latin-script labels. A result is guidance; unclear sources still need a manufacturer answer.
Three different kinds of evidence on a packet
A packet may display a manufacturer's vegan statement, a licensed certification mark, or an informal leaf illustration. These can look similar at a glance, but they do not provide the same information. Start by identifying who is making the claim and which product it covers.
A manufacturer statement concerns what the company says about its product. A third-party scheme applies its own published criteria and registration process. A generic leaf may simply be decoration unless an identifiable organisation and claim stand behind it.
This article focuses on checking that assurance. For the practical sequence of reading the ingredient and allergen panels, use our food-label reading guide. You should not have to memorise every logo before you can start shopping.
Read the category as well as the organisation's name
| Mark or claim | What to verify | Common mistake to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| The Vegan Society's Vegan Trademark | The named product or ingredient and the issuer's current registration/standards | Extending one registered product to the whole manufacturer |
| Vegetarian Society Approved Vegetarian | The vegetarian category and the exact licensed product | Assuming a vegetarian mark excludes milk or every egg ingredient |
| Vegetarian Society Approved Vegan | The vegan category and current criteria | Reading only the shared organisation name |
| Vegetarian Society Approved Plant-Based | The specific scheme's criteria, including its animal-ingredient exclusion | Applying that scheme's rules to every generic plant-based claim |
| V-Label | Whether the licensed category says vegan or vegetarian | Ignoring the dietary word next to the design |
| A maker's own vegan wording | Its exact product scope and current supporting information | Calling it independently certified without identifying a certifier |
Use the issuers' own references: Vegan Society standards, Vegetarian Society criteria and V-Label criteria. These are separate schemes. Do not assume they use identical definitions for every production method, processing aid or specialised ingredient.
Real products that show why the words matter
The following examples were checked through issuer and manufacturer sources on October 14, 2026. They illustrate particular products, not universal promises about the brands.
| Named example | Evidence | Useful lesson |
|---|---|---|
| Alpro Oat Original | The Vegan Society's July 2026 plant-milk article identifies this product as Vegan Trademark registered | An identifiable issuer provides evidence beyond a decorative plant image |
| ASDA Oat Barista Drink, UK | The same issuer article names this drink | A product-specific listing does not cover every drink sold by that supermarket |
| Quorn Cocktail Sausages, 140 g, UK | A Vegetarian Society roundup lists the vegetarian product; the current maker panel includes egg white and milk proteins | Vegetarian assurance does not turn those ingredients vegan |
Read the issuer's 2026 plant-milk examples, the Vegetarian Society's dated picnic roundup and Quorn's current product page. The picnic roundup is from 2025; this article is not presenting it as a newly issued 2026 certificate.
How to check an unfamiliar logo
- Read the actual name and category. Look for the issuer and the word vegan, vegetarian or another defined category.
- Go to the issuer's official information. A retailer's product description can be helpful but may be incomplete or old.
- Match the product. Check flavour, size, market and range instead of searching only the manufacturer's name.
- Read what the criteria cover. Ingredients, processing aids, testing policies and cross-contact controls may have defined scopes.
- Ask if the match is unclear. A missing search result or a redesigned package is a reason to check, not automatic proof of a false claim.
The Vegan Society provides a trademark search. If a product variant cannot be resolved in an issuer's records, contact the maker or issuer with a packet photo and barcode. Keep a reply tied to that product and date.
Plant-based, vegetarian and vegan are not interchangeable
The Vegetarian Society's specific Plant-Based mark has published criteria excluding animal-derived ingredients. Those criteria belong to that licensed scheme. Generic words saying plant-based on another product do not automatically inherit them.
Similarly, India's green vegetarian dot is not a vegan certification. The India-specific marking guide explains the milk and egg distinctions in that setting. Do not transport one country's mark or dietary category into a worldwide definition.
For the broad marketing terms, see plant-based versus vegan. For a vegetarian shopping decision, use the vegetarian checklist and identify the diet you are actually following. A lacto-vegetarian shopper and a lacto-ovo vegetarian shopper may ask different questions about an egg ingredient.
The useful question is who stands behind the exact claim, for which product, and under which criteria.
Vegan certification is not an allergy-free promise
Certification schemes can have controls intended to reduce cross-contact without guaranteeing that no trace of an allergen is present. A vegan product may therefore carry precautionary milk wording. Do not convert a dietary mark into an allergy-safety recommendation.
The ingredient list, allergen declaration and precautionary warning have their own functions. Our may-contain-milk guide explains the distinction. Anyone managing an allergy should use current product information and appropriate qualified advice.
What an ingredient scanner adds
A scanner can help identify a recorded recipe, translate an unfamiliar additive and highlight an animal-derived ingredient. It is especially useful when a packet has no vegan claim or when you want to understand the reason behind a result.
It cannot grant certification, audit a supplier or confirm a trademark registration from an unfamiliar logo. If the recorded recipe and your packet disagree, match the product again and seek current evidence. A good checking routine leaves room for changed recipes and incomplete data.
Questions about vegan marks
Does every vegan food need a certification logo?
No. A product may have a maker's vegan confirmation or suitable ingredients without a licensed mark. Identify what evidence you have rather than treating an absent logo as an animal ingredient.
Does a vegetarian mark mean vegan?
No. Read the category and the criteria. The Quorn example contains egg and milk despite its vegetarian status.
Does certification cover every product from that company?
Do not assume so. Check the specific registered product, ingredient or range named by the scheme.
Can a photo of a logo settle an unclear ingredient source?
Only if you can identify the actual scheme and its scope for the exact product. An unidentified symbol or a picture on an old shopping list is incomplete evidence.
Verification and editorial notes
The linked official sources were reviewed on . Examples cover the named products and markets; recipes and availability can change. This article uses published manufacturer evidence, not hands-on product testing. Vegan suitability and allergy safety are separate questions.
Research, writing and the source/readability reread were AI-assisted. No independent human review is claimed. Product names belong to their respective owners; no endorsement or affiliation is implied. See our editorial method and correction contact.
Kosher pareve is a separate classification
Our kosher and pareve guide explains why eggs and fish can fit a pareve classification and why shoppers who need both kosher and vegan suitability should check each separately.
Check the label on your own product
VeganCheckr scans barcodes and ingredient labels, flags hidden animal ingredients and E-numbers, and shows you the evidence. Free to download on the App Store and Google Play. Optional Premium features vary by platform.
Scan with your iPhone camera