ISO 23662:2021 pdf free download – Definitions and technical criteria for foods and food ingredients suitable for vegetarians or vegans and for labelling and claims.
The purpose of this document is to provide the technical criteria for foods and food ingredients suitable for vegetarians (including ovo-lacto-, ovo- and lacto-vegetarians) or vegans for use by the food and beverage industry at a global level, as well as technical criteria for food labelling and claims.
The document specifies technical criteria to all food and beverage companies, applicable to all organizations, regardless of size or complexity. This document is intended for use in business-tobusiness communications, relationships in the global food supply chain, the international trade of food products, and food labelling and claims.
Conformity to this document helps to ensure a level-playing field and fair practices in business-tobusiness relationships, international trade, and food labelling and claims.
NOTE — Legally required information, food labelling or claims, or other applicable legal requirements can apply.
4 Technical criteria for foods and food ingredients suitable for vegetarians and vegans
4.1 General
Foods and food ingredients shall be considered suitable for vegetarians (including ovo-lacto-, ovo- and lacto-vegetarians) or vegans provided the technical criteria given in 42 to 4.5 are fulfilled.
4.2 Foods and food ingredients suitable for ovo-lacto-vegetarians
These are foods and food ingredients (including additives, flavourings, enzymes and carriers) or processing aids that are not products of animal origin and in which, at no stage of production and processing, use has been made of food ingredients (including additives, flavourings, enzymes and carriers) or processing aids that are of animal origin, except for the following and/or their components or derivatives:
— milk or dairy products or colostrum;
— eggs or egg products obtained from living animals;
— honey or bee products (e.g. beeswax, propolis);
— products derived from the wool of living animals (e.g. lanolin).
In the case of compound food ingredients, each food ingredient shall meet the technical criteria of this document to be suitable for ovo-lacto-vegetarians.
To avoid the unintended presence of non-ovo-lacto-vegetarian substances, all stages of production, processing and distribution shall be designed to take the appropriate precautions in conformity with good manufacturing practices (GMPs).
If the same production line is shared with non-ovo-lacto-vegetarian products/ingredients, thorough cleaning or comparable measures in conformity with GMPs shall be carried out before starting the production of ovo-lacto-vegetarian products. This extends to all associated machinery, equipment, utensils and surfaces. Appropriate precautions in conformity with GMPs shall be taken before ovolacto-vegetarian products are prepared, produced or packaged.
Food business operators (FBOs), companies working on their behalf or companies over which the FBO has effective control shall not have carried out tests of any kind on animals for the final product available to the consumer bearing an ovo-lacto-vegetarian claim.
However, for single ingredient foods and individual ingredients including processing aids, FBOs, companies working on their behalf or companies over which the FBO has effective control shall not have carried out tests of any kind on animals, except when required by public authorities’ regulatory procedures.