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{{Short description|Set of symbols}}
Multiple [[symbol]]s have been developed to represent [[lacto-vegetarianism]] and [[veganism]]. Several are used on food [[packaging and labeling|packaging]], including voluntary labels such as [[The Vegan Society]] trademark or the [[European Vegetarian Union|V-Label]] (with support of the [[European Vegetarian Union]]<ref name="Yacoubou">{{cite journal |last1=Yacoubou|first1=Jeanne|title=Vegetarian Certifications on Food Labels: What Do They Mean?|journal=Vegetarian Journal|date=2006|volume=17|issue=3|page=25|url=http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2006issue3/2006_issue3_labels.php#vlft|access-date=6 August 2017}}</ref><ref name="Basas">{{cite journal |last1=Basas|first1=Carrie Griffin|title="V" is for Vegetarian: FDA-Mandated Vegetarian Food Labeling|journal=Utah Law Review|date=2011|volume=4|page=1275|doi=10.2139/ssrn.1434040|s2cid=167037999}}</ref>) as well as the vegetarian and non-vegetarian marks mandated by the [[India]]n government.<ref name="act"/> Symbols may also be used by members of the vegetarian and vegan communities to represent their identities, and in the course of [[Animal rights movement|animal rights activism]].{{citation needed|date=August 2017}}

==Vegetarian symbols==
===Indian vegetarian mark===
[[File:FSSAI new labels for veg and non-veg.svg|alt=Vegetarian symbol - square with green outline with green circle inside; New Non Vegetarian symbol - square with reddish-brown outline with reddish-brown triangle inside; Old Non Vegetarian symbol - square with reddish-brown outline with reddish-brown circle inside, not for human consumption symbol - square with black outline with black X inside|thumb|The green dot symbol (top-left) identifies lacto-vegetarian food, and the reddish-brown triangle symbol (top-right) identifies non-vegetarian food.]]
Packaged food and [[toothpaste]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.google.com/search?q=toothpaste+vegetarian+mark&tbm=isch#imgrc=zIvxntMYizZkOM |title=Search results |website=www.google.com}} {{Better source needed|date=August 2022}}</ref> products sold in [[India]] are required to be labelled with a mark in order to be distinguished between [[lacto-vegetarian]] and [[non-vegetarian]].<ref name="act">{{Cite web |url=http://www.fssai.gov.in/Portals/0/Pdf/Food%20Safety%20and%20standards%20(Packaging%20and%20Labelling)%20regulation,%202011.pdf |title=Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. 'Food Safety and standards (Packaging and Labelling) regulations, 2011.' |access-date=2017-08-06 |archive-date=2016-11-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161120150649/http://www.fssai.gov.in/Portals/0/Pdf/Food%20Safety%20and%20standards%20(Packaging%20and%20Labelling)%20regulation,%202011.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="greendotter">[http://greendotter.com/dots.html Greendotter. 'Dots'.]</ref><ref>[http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/article2593551.ece?css=print The Hindu. '6 months imprisonment to papad maker, sellers.']</ref><ref>[http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/ie20010928/nat8.html ''Indian Express''. 'See brown logo on non-veg biscuits.']</ref><ref>[http://www.nios.ac.in/Secbuscour/26.pdf National Institute of Open Schooling. 'Wise Buying.']</ref> The symbol is in effect following the ''Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Act of 2006'', and received a mandatory status after the framing of the respective regulations (''Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulation'') in 2011.<ref name="act" /> According to the law, vegetarian food should be identified by a green symbol and non-vegetarian food with a brown symbol. They are defined as:

"Vegetarian food must have a symbol of a green color-filled circle inside a square with a green outline prominently displayed on the package, contrasting against the background on the principal display panel, in close proximity to name or brand name of the food."

"Non-vegetarian food (any food which contains whole or part of any animal including birds, marine animals, eggs, or products of any animal origin as an ingredient, excluding honey, milk or milk products), must have a symbol of a brown color-filled circle inside a square with a brown outline prominently displayed on the package, contrasting against the background on the principal display panel, in close proximity to the name or brand name of the food."<ref>{{cite web |title=GAIN Report Number: IN2045 : ndia amends labeling requirements for imported food |url=https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/report/downloadreportbyfilename?filename=India%20amends%20labeling%20requirements%20for%20imported%20food_New%20Delhi_India_3-23-2012.pdf |access-date=10 October 2021}}</ref>

In 2021, [[Food Safety and Standards Authority of India|FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India)]] adopted a new symbol for non-vegetarian food items due to concerns that the combination of the old symbols were difficult for people with colour blindness to distinguish. The new symbol is that of a brown color-filled triangle inside a square with a brown outline.<ref>{{Cite web |title=FSSAI's Labeling Updates: What's New, What's Changed and What's Next [2022 Edition] {{!}} Artwork Flow |url=https://www.artworkflowhq.com/resources/fssai-labeling-updates |access-date=2022-06-17 |website=www.artworkflowhq.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-01-13 |title=Why FSSAI Has Changed The Logo For Non-Vegetarian Foods? |url=https://packaging360.in/news/why-fssai-has-changed-the-logo-for-non-vegetarian-foods/ |access-date=2022-06-17 |website=Packaging 360 |language=en}}</ref>

In September 2021, the FSSAI announced adoption of the new vegan symbol.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.veganfirst.com/article/fssai-introduces-vegan-logo-for-food-products-in-india|title = FSSAI Introduces Vegan Logo for Food Products in India}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
| last = Devaiah
| first = B. P. Darshan
| title = FSSAI's new vegan logo was made in 20 minutes, here's the young mind who conceptualised it
| newspaper = The New Indian Express
| location = Bengaluru
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = Express Publications
| date = 23 September 2021
| url = https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bangalore/fssai-vegan-logo-maker-kruti-manish-rathore-7530205/
| access-date = 1 October 2021}}</ref>

===V-Label===
[[File:Vegetarian-mark.svg|80px|right]]
The [[European Vegetarian Union|V-Label]], a V with a leaf, originated with the [[European Vegetarian Union]]. The V-Label is a standardised international vegan and vegetarian label supported by the [[European Vegetarian Union|EVU]] with the aim of easy identification of vegan and vegetarian products and services.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-11-06|title=The history of the V-Label › V-Label|url=https://www.v-label.eu/v-label/the-history-of-the-v-label|access-date=2020-10-19|website=V-Label|language=en-EU}}</ref>

=== Vegetarian Society approved trademark ===
[[File:Vegsoctrademark.gif|thumb|Vegetarian Society Approved vegetarian trademark]]
The Vegetarian Society Approved trademark is the world’s first vegetarian accreditation symbol and appears on thousands of products worldwide. It was created in 1969 by the [[Vegetarian Society]] who were established in 1847 and invented the word "vegetarian".{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

Any product displaying the Vegetarian Society Approved vegetarian trademark has been independently checked by the Vegetarian Society and meets these criteria:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vegetarian Society Approved Vegetarian and Vegan Trademarks |url=https://vegsoc.org/vegetarian-and-vegan-approved-trademarks-business/ |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=Vegetarian Society |language=en-GB}}</ref>

* Contains no ingredient made from animal body parts
* Only free-range eggs are used
* Measures in place to avoid cross-contamination during production
* GMO-free
* No animal testing carried out or commissioned.

{{clear}}

==Vegan symbols==
===Vegan Trademark===

The Vegan Trademark, with its iconic sunflower, is an internationally recognised standard from [[The Vegan Society]] (who coined the term 'vegan'). It certifies products with the aim of easy identification of vegan products. Launched in 1990, it was the first vegan verification scheme. Any product displaying The Vegan Society's Vegan Trademark has been independently checked by The Vegan Society met these criteria:

* The manufacture and/or development of the product, and its ingredients, must not involve or have involved, the use of any animal product, by-product or derivative.
* The development and/or manufacture of the product, and its ingredients, must not involve or have involved, testing of any sort on animals conducted at the initiative of the company or on its behalf, or by parties over whom the company has effective control.
* The development and/or production of GMOs must not have involved animal genes or animal-derived substances. Products put forward for trademark registration that contains or may contain any GMOs must be labelled as such.

Over 70,000 products are registered with the Vegan Trademark.

===Enclosed V===
[[File:Vegetarian-movement symbol.png|100px|right]]
The enclosed [[v]] (modeled after the [[enclosed A]] symbol) is a popular vegan symbol, especially on [[social network]]s where it is represented by the Ⓥ symbol of the [[Enclosed Alphanumerics]] [[Unicode block]]. This lowercase "V" inside a circle is not used to label products as vegan nor should be relied upon to determine if a product is vegan. A kosher organization (Vaad Hoeir of St. Louis) owns and uses a US trademark (certification mark) consisting of an uppercase V inside a circle.<ref name="veganfeed">{{cite web |url=http://www.vegansymbol.com/|title=Vegan Symbol|website=vegansymbol.com|publisher=The Vegan Feed|access-date=28 June 2017}}</ref>
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===Emojis associated with veganism===
On internet forums and social networks, the [[seedling]] [[emoji]] (🌱) or [[green]] [[heart symbol]] emoji (💚) are sometimes used to symbolize [[veganism]] or vegan products.<ref name="veganfeed" />

Sometimes the [[peace dove]] [[Doves as symbols|symbol]] emoji (U+1F54A) is also used in vegan/[[animal rights]] contexts to convey both [[peace]] and [[freedom]]/[[Animal liberation movement|liberation]] for [[non-human animals]].
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===Veganarchy symbol===
[[File:Veganarchism.svg|right|80px]]
The [[Veganarchy]] symbol, first introduced in print in Brian A. Dominick's ''Animal Liberation and Social Revolution'' pamphlet in 1995, combines the Circle-V with the Circle-A of [[anarchist]] symbolism.<ref name="brian">Dominick, Brian. ''Animal Liberation and Social Revolution: A vegan perspective on anarchism or an anarchist perspective on veganism'', Critical Mess Media, 1995.</ref>
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=== Vegan flag ===
[[File:Vegan flag cropped.jpg|150px|right]]
The vegan flag<ref>{{cite web |title=The vegan flag website|url=http://www.veganflag.org}}</ref> was designed in 2017 by a network group of graphic designers and activists from several countries. The group was opened by Gad Hakimi, a vegan activist and designer from [[Israel]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.plantbasednews.org/post/plantbased-vegan-flag-hoist-community|title=Graphic Design Team Unveils Veganism's First Ever Official Flag|access-date=2017-07-28|language=en|website=Plant Based News|archive-date=2017-07-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728211340/https://www.plantbasednews.org/post/plantbased-vegan-flag-hoist-community|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=9771&catId=1|title=New Flag Launches to Unite Vegans Across the Globe|date=16 July 2017|website=Veg News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://veggiesavvy.com/team-designers-launch-new-international-vegan-flag/|title=Team Of Designers Launch New International Vegan Flag|date=11 July 2017|work=Veggie Savvy|access-date=28 July 2017|archive-date=29 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729011706/http://veggiesavvy.com/team-designers-launch-new-international-vegan-flag/|url-status=dead}}</ref> who intended it to be a [[Civil flag]] to represent veganism. The flag consists of three blue and green triangles forming the letter V, the first letter in the word "vegan".

Originally, some members of the group suggested that animals should be featured on the flag, with red colours featuring prominently to symbolize the blood of slaughtered animals.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Vegan Flag: A Symbol of Unity or a Point of Conflict?|url=http://www.livekindly.co/the-vegan-flag/|access-date=28 July 2017|work=LIVEKINDLY|date=16 July 2017}}</ref> However, the group eventually chose to make the flag about human–animal respect, not about animals themselves.<ref>{{cite news |title=The International vegan flag has launched|url=http://www.veganfoodandliving.com/international-vegan-flag-launched/|access-date=28 July 2017|work=Vegan Food & Living|date=10 July 2017}}</ref>
Inspired by the LGBT [[rainbow flag]], the flag was created in hopes of uniting animal rights organizations and activists.
The colours white, green, and blue were chosen to represent the natural habitats of animals: sky, land, and sea. The letter V stands for Vegan, and is an inverted pyramid intended to symbolize the ability to do the impossible.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pinto|first1=Goel|title=Designing the flag of veganism|url=http://www.kan.org.il/Radio/item.aspx?pid=5484|access-date=28 July 2017|work="Gam Ken Tarbut" on Israeli television|publisher=[[Israeli Broadcasting Corporation#Radio|KAN Culture]]|date=24 June 2017|location=Minutes: 0:32-0:40|language=he|quote=The idea is a upside-down pyramid, to show that we can do the impossible. (min 0:37:55)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729010118/http://www.kan.org.il/Radio/item.aspx?pid=5484|archive-date=29 July 2017|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

[[File:V-LABEL LOGO vegan pfade-page-001.jpg|right|frameless|130x130px]]
'''<big>V-Label</big>'''

The international [[European Vegetarian Union|V-Label]] supported by the [[European Vegetarian Union]] is an internationally recognised and protected trademark for the labelling of vegetarian and vegan products.

=== Vegetarian Society Approved vegan trademark ===
[[File:Vegsocvegan.jpg|thumb]]
The Vegetarian Society Approved vegan trademark was established in 2017 and appears on thousands of products worldwide. Any product displaying the Vegetarian Society Approved vegan trademark has been independently checked by the [[Vegetarian Society]] and has met these criteria:

* Contains no animal-derived ingredients
* Measures in place to avoid cross-contamination during production
* GMO-free
* No animal testing carried out or commissioned.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vegetarian Society Approved Vegetarian and Vegan Trademarks |url=https://vegsoc.org/vegetarian-and-vegan-approved-trademarks-business/ |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=Vegetarian Society |language=en-GB}}</ref>

In 2022 McDonald's launched their [[McPlant]] burger across the UK, accredited with the Vegetarian Society Approved vegan trademark.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Vegan Burger with Beyond Meat {{!}} McDonald's UK |url=https://www.mcdonalds.com/gb/en-gb/latest-updates/mcplant.html |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=www.mcdonalds.com |language=en-GB}}</ref>

=== Vegan food regulations in India ===
[[File:Indian-vegan-label.svg|thumb|Indian label for vegan food]]
In 2022, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has put in place regulations for vegan food products within the country.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://fssai.gov.in/cms/food-safety-and-standards-regulations.php |title=FSSAI }}</ref>
The new rules clearly define what constitutes vegan food and how brands can label it.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://plantbasednews.org/culture/law/india-vegan-food-regulations/ |title=India Introduces Vegan Food Regulations for the First Time |date=26 July 2022 }}</ref> The logo was designed by a Bengaluru-based, Food Science and Nutrition college student-Kruti Manish Rathore.<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2021/Sep/23/v-for-vegan-fssai-okays-bengaluru-girls-logo-2362483.html |title=V for Vegan! FSSAI okays Bengaluru girl's logo |date=23 September 2021 }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of food labeling regulations]]
* [[Food Safety and Standards Authority of India]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.fssai.gov.in The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India]

{{Veganism and vegetarianism}}
{{India certification marks}}

[[Category:Lists of symbols]]
[[Category:Vegetarianism]]
[[Category:Veganism]]
[[Category:Political symbols]]

Vegetarian and vegan symbolism - Revision history

1muhammet237823: added a entry.