In October 2011, Renato Pichler, Board Member of the EVU, reported that the French government's Décret 2011-1227 and associated Arrêté (September 30, 2011) effectively outlaws the serving of vegan meals at any public or private school in France. Similar decrees are proposed for kindergartens, hospitals, prisons and retirement homes.[4]
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]
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:
"The deliberate use of non-vegan or non-vegetarian substances must be ruled out."
"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]
