A newly published International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard for labelling plant-based foods will increase trust in the global plant-based industry, ProVeg International has said.

The standard, called ‘Plant-based foods and food ingredients – Definitions and technical criteria for labelling and claims,’ sets out an international guideline for manufacturers and retailers worldwide to preserve and promote ‘plant-based’ as a widely trusted claim.

ProVeg pointed to consumer research suggesting ‘plant-based’ is one of the most appealing claims to label products that do not contain animal ingredients.

With no internationally recognised guideline previously on how this claim should be used, foods containing animal ingredients are occasionally labelled as plant-based, which risks confusing consumers and damaging their trust. The new ISO standard has been created with input from food industry partners and NGOs.

The standard will cover two types of foods: foods with no animal ingredients, which can be labelled plant-based, and foods with limited and conditional use of animal ingredients.

Foods in the second category cannot be labelled as plant-based, except with a qualifier – for example, ‘plant-based vegetarian,’ or can be called something else such as ‘plant-strong’ at the choice of the manufacturer. The use of any animal-derived ingredients must be clearly and transparently highlighted on the label to prevent consumers from being misled.

Martine van Haperen, a foodservice and food industry expert at ProVeg International, said: “While this second category isn’t what we would define as strictly plant-based, it’s a compromise, helping to satisfy mixed-stakeholder politics. Given the strength of the first category, ProVeg welcomes the new standard, which reflects strong consensus among industry, consumer groups and other stakeholders.”

Van Haperen – who has been representing ProVeg in the worldwide ISO working group developing a standard for products that can be labelled as plant-based – noted that ISO is an influential and widely respected institute, with the standard providing a potential first step toward governmental legislation regarding plant-based food labelling.

“Adherence to ISO standards is voluntary, so we need to wait and see how this standard is received and implemented across various cultural, economical and political spaces,” Van Haperen said.