Community
Print
The UK’s Vegetarian Society has reported seeing a “significant rise” in the number of brands adopting its plant-based certification label over the last year.
The Vegetarian Society launched its Plant-Based Certification Mark in late 2024, and Lidl became the first major retailer to use the trademark in January of 2025. To bear the label, products must have key plant-based qualities and no animal ingredients.
Read more: Lidl Becomes First Major Retailer To Use ‘Gold Standard’ Plant-Based Trademark
The Vegetarian Society told Plant Based News (PBN) that the Plant-Based Certification Mark has seen “exponential growth” across a diverse range of products from various brands since its introduction a year ago.
“Since the launch of our Plant-Based Certification in November 2024, we have seen a significant rise in brands adopting the certification; either as a standalone credential or to complement our Vegan and Vegetarian certifications,” said Nina Anderson, the head of corporate sales at the Vegetarian Society. “Our Plant-Based Certification Mark enables products to carry a certification that may be better aligned with their brand identity.”
The Vegetarian Society now offers three trademarks: one for vegetarian products, one for vegan products, and the newest one for plant-based products. While items bearing the Plant-Based Certification Mark have to be vegan-friendly too, the recipe must also specifically include plants or plant derivatives as the main ingredients.
“Together, our trinity of certifications allows customers to make informed purchasing decisions at a glance,” said Anderson. “With the recent uptake of the Plant-Based Mark accounting for around 50 percent of recent certification completions, consumers will soon begin to notice our mark on a growing range of products.”
Read more: The Plant-Based Dairy Market Could Reach $34 Billion By 2030, Say Experts
The Vegetarian Society and plant-based diets in the UK
The Vegetarian Society is one of the oldest organizations of its kind in the world.
In addition to its Vegetarian Society Approved trademarks, the 178-year-old campaigning charity also organizes the UK’s National Vegetarian Week, runs a cookery school, and holds a weekly “Veggie Lotto” fundraising lottery.
Approximately three percent of people in the UK now self-identify as either vegan or plant-based, while 10 percent are either eliminating or reducing their consumption of animal products. In September, a report by the Food Foundation found that a UK-wide shift to plant-based diets could help reduce projected species extinction over the next 100 years by nearly 60 percent, protecting the environment and the food system alongside biodiversity.
