Vegan, gluten-free, organic and “free from” claims

Gluten-free: defined in law

• “Gluten-free” means no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten in the food as sold.
• “Very low gluten” means no more than 100 mg/kg, and applies only to foods with specially processed cereal ingredients.
• You need evidence: supplier assurance, controls on cross-contamination, and testing.

Organic: certification required

You can only call a product organic if it's produced and certified under the organic rules by a UK-approved control body, and the label shows that body's code (for example GB-ORG-xx). The EU organic logo is only for products sold in the EU.

Vegan and vegetarian: not defined in law

• There's no legal definition in GB, but the claim must not mislead (1169/2011 Art 7).
• Check every ingredient, including capsule shells, magnesium stearate, vitamin D3 (often from lanolin) and processing aids.
• Certification schemes, such as the Vegan Society trademark, are voluntary but give buyers confidence.
• “Vegan” isn't a free-from-allergen claim. Milk or egg cross-contact still needs managing.

“Free from” and “no added” claims

• “Dairy-free” or “egg-free” claims must be true and backed by allergen controls. Customers with allergies rely on them.
• “No added sugars” is a nutrition claim with set conditions: no added sugars or sugar-containing ingredients, and a statement if sugars occur naturally.
• “Free from artificial colours” and similar claims mustn't suggest the product is special when all similar products are the same.