European Vegetarian Union

The European Vegetarian Union (EVU) is a non-profit, non-governmental umbrella organisation for vegan and vegetarian societies and groups in Europe. The union works in the areas of vegetarianism, nutrition, health, consumer protection, climate and environment, and food labelling.

European Vegetarian Union
AbbreviationEVU
Formation1988 (1988)
Founded atHilversum, Netherlands
TypeNon-profit organisation
Registration no.109356110578-03
FocusVegetarianism/Veganism
Location
  • Brussels, Berlin, Vienna
Area served
Europe
Members (2020)
43 member organisations from 28 countries[1]
Official language
English
General Secretary
Olivia Ladinig
President
Felix Hnat
Vice President
Sebastian Joy
Treasurer
Johannes Gilli
Affiliations
Websitewww.euroveg.eu
V-label
Effective regionWorldwide
Effective since1995
Product categoryFood label
Legal statusConsumer recognised
Websitewww.v-label.com

History

Purpose

The main activities of the EVU are:

  • To support and represent member societies on a European level, and to offer a platform for close cooperation;
  • To raise public awareness of, and promote vegetarianism, vegetarian/plant-based issues and the benefits of a vegetarian/plant-based lifestyle;
  • To lobby governments, European institutions and organisations for greater recognition of plant-based issues in policy decisions; and
  • To promote transparent food labelling in the interest of all vegetarian and vegan consumers across Europe and the rest of the world.

Labelling
The V-Label since January 2023[5]
V-Label from 1995 until 2022

V-Label

EVU has acted as the background organisation for the V-Label in the past. Some of EVU's member organisations certify products with the label.[6] The label was launched in 1995[7] and redesigned in 2023 to better differentiate between the vegan and the vegetarian label.[5][8]

Other labels in the European Union

The European Vegetarian Union has tried to legally define the use of the labels "vegetarian" and "vegan" on food items.[9] They have argued that the vegan label on a product should have a clear and standard meaning. They have put forth two main requirements:

  1. "The deliberate use of non-vegan or non-vegetarian substances must be ruled out."
  2. "The (potential) presence of inadvertent traces of non-vegan or non-vegetarian substances should not be an obstacle to labelling a product as vegan or vegetarian, provided that such contamination occurs despite a careful production process that complies with the best practices and the state of the art."

Despite the organisation's efforts, the European Commission initially refused to enact any changes. The EVU has continued to lobby state governments, especially in Germany because the country experienced more widespread support for the labelling legislation. As a result, "consumer protection ministers of German Länder unanimously agreed on a proposal for a wording of the definition of the terms "vegan" and "vegetarian" for food labelling and put it into effect for the food control authorities within their jurisdictions, making it de facto binding."[9]

See also

Animal protection movements

References
  1. "Members - List". European Vegetarian Union. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  2. "Devour the Earth". World Preservation Foundation. Archived from the original on 2013-01-07.
  3. "Devour the Earth". EVU. Archived from the original on 2013-10-14.
  4. Renato Pichler "The French Government Outlaws Vegetarianism in Schools" Archived October 24, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, European Vegetarian Union (EVU). *Also see "The French Government Outlaws Vegetarianism in Schools", European Vegetarian and Animal News Alliance (EVANA).
  5. "V-Label unveils new labels, marking global growth - V-Label". www.v-label.com. 2023-01-03. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  6. "Get certified - V-Label". www.v-label.com. 2022-05-30. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  7. "CH-440.4.021.134 V-Label GmbH". Archived from the original on 8 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  8. "Mehr Transparenz: Neues V-Label markiert vegane und vegetarische Lebensmittel unterschiedlich". stern.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  9. Domke, Felix (2018). "Vegetarian and Vegan Products - Labelling and Definitions". European Food and Feed Law Review. 13 (2): 102–107.
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