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Creative Nature CEO and food entrepreneur Julien Ponnan MBE has warned of misleading claims on some vegan foods. She chose Veganuary to talk about misleading “alibi” claims and the risks for people with allergies and intolerances.
Julianne Ponan MBE, nutrition and food entrepreneur and CEO of leading free-brand brand Creative Nature, has warned of the dangers of misleading labeling of plant-based and vegan foods.
She chose Veganuary to raise the issue of misleading ‘alibi’ labeling and the risks this poses to people living with serious allergies and intolerances.
Julian, who founded Creative Nature just 10 years ago, has severe and life-threatening food allergies and believes too many manufacturers use ‘vegan’ or ‘plant-based’ in the marketing of their products. However, the company added that it “may be included.” Place warnings in small print on the packaging to eliminate the need for liability for strict controls in the manufacturing process.
Julien said this has potentially fatal consequences for people with food allergies, who may believe they are purchasing a “safe” product, when in reality it is not safe. You may be purchasing foods that contain the very ingredients you cannot consume.
“If a food is clearly labeled ‘vegan’, it’s perfectly reasonable to assume it doesn’t contain eggs or dairy,” says Julian. “Unfortunately, this is not always the case and some of these foods contain ingredients derived from eggs and dairy products. It can be life-threatening to people.”
A 2023 survey conducted by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) found that 76% of people believe that products sold as vegan do not contain ingredients of animal origin. Half of those surveyed also believed that “plant-based” and “vegan” were interchangeable terms. As more people choose plant-based diets, more manufacturers are making “vegan” and “plant-based” foods, and complaints from consumers who believe they were misled to be plant-based are also on the rise. CTSI states that Even if you buy a safe product, it will only cause an allergic reaction.
Julian believes part of the problem may be that there is currently no legal definition of ‘vegan’. This means food companies are free to market their products as vegan even though they contain animal-derived ingredients. She also believes that, unlike gluten, the medical consequences of this type of food allergy are forgotten or misunderstood by producers.
“Over the past few years, there has been a huge increase in the number of people choosing a vegan diet for health and ethical reasons,” says Julien. “This is great. But I think it’s probably led some companies to think that veganism is nothing more than a lifestyle choice. It’s clearly a lethal ingredient, so it’s not safe for them to use it in food products.” You’ll never find “may contain glass” in small print. Similarly, misleading someone with a dairy allergy into believing that the food is safe to eat can be extremely dangerous and potentially life-threatening. ”
More than 2 million people in the UK suffer from food allergies. Symptoms range from itching in the mouth and throat to a severe reaction known as anaphylaxis, in which the airways become swollen and blocked, making it impossible to breathe. This is a potentially life-threatening medical emergency. You may be allergic to more than one type of food, and you are slightly more likely to develop a food allergy if you also have other allergies, such as asthma or eczema. The Food Standards Agency has announced that food allergies have increased by 300 per cent since 2021.
In 2018, Avon’s senior coroner Maria Voisin produced a report following the death of Celia Marsh, who collapsed after eating a vegan Pret a Manger wrap that had been contaminated with milk protein. Ms Voisin said to establish “robust systems to ensure that foods sold as vegan or plant-based are free of relevant allergens” and to reflect this in food labeling, protocols and regulations. I asked. However, there are still no threshold requirements for foods of animal origin in the UK or the EU.
“The fact that there has been no movement on this for the past six years is extremely frustrating,” Julien says. “It is important that people understand how careful they need to be when choosing this type of product and understand that not everything is as it first appears. We just want to make sure people can enjoy their food while staying safe.”
Julianne founded Creative Nature 10 years ago after suffering from severe and life-threatening food allergies herself. Julianne and her team will be sharing stories about misleading alibi displays on social and her media channels throughout the remainder of January. This award-winning company produces foods that are completely safe for people living with the top 14 allergens.
* The Chartered Trading Standards Institute’s 2023 report on vegan and plant-based food labeling standards can be accessed below. https://www.tradingstandards.uk/media/3179000/ctsi-vegan-plant-based-food-policy-paper-final.pdf
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