What is Validated Vegan?
Validated Vegan is a vegan certification company providing certifications for businesses and products around the globe. Based in Washington, DC, we take vegan certification seriously. As a third-party certifying agency, we physically inspect, review, complete audits, and certify companies as Vegan. Meeting rigorous standards for excellence, our inspectors and auditors ensure that companies and products meet industry standards for true veganism. We provide a seamless, high-end digital service to make certification hassle-free.
What Do We Certify?
Validated Vegan certifies food, beverages, alcohol, textiles, cosmetics, supplements, vitamins, household cleaning products, artwork, and virtually every product that could be affected by animals or animal byproducts. We provide a global trademark that can be used for products anywhere in the world. Contact us to learn more about what we certify and how we can help you.
How Do Vegan Friendly & Plant-Based Certifications Differ?
Excellent question! In general, anything that is vegan is plant-based (NOT TRUE), but something that is labeled plant-based might not be vegan. Most vegans are not looking for items that are labeled “plant-based” for this reason. There could be trace amounts of animal by-products in the final product due to the manufacturing process. To ensure a product is completely free of animal-based products, a Vegan certification logo is required. We provide Vegan certification, instead of ‘plant-based certifications.
How Does Certification Work?
At Validated Vegan, we strive to make the certification process as simple as possible. The process begins by filling out the contact form right here on our website. Our team will reach out to you to get basic information about your products. Once we have that information, we dig a bit deeper. Based on your response to follow-up questions, we will provide an affordable certification fee to help you seek and achieve vegan certification. From there, our inspectors and auditors will examine your ingredients and products to ensure they meet the Known Standards for vegan-friendly products. You will either pass or fail on the application, hopefully meeting the standards and earning your certification. Annual renewal of your certification is also required to maintain it.
What is the Turnaround Time For Certification?
Our vegan certification process typically takes 4-6 weeks, however, it can take longer depending on multiple factors. Ingredients, processes, and suppliers are analyzed during the certification process, contributing to the turnaround time. Quick communication ensures a smooth process and streamlines your certification.
What is Your Policy on Animal Testing?
To be vegan certified, a product must not be tested on animals. The definition when used in this context means that no use of animals for any type of research purposes including nutritional trials, toxicity testing, or trials as required by law have been used by the company or any of their subcontractors. Additionally, the product cannot be tested on animals in the future.
Can You Certify My Entire Company or Plant?
Unfortunately, no. We take careful steps to ensure that each product we certify is completely vegan. This process requires extensive time and effort. For this reason, and others, we approve products one by one, and do not certify entire plants or companies. Ensuring the vegan marketplace is credible is our primary focus, and to move forward in that vein, we certify products only.
How Long Does Certification Last?
In order to verify no changes have been made to certified products, we require annual audits and renewal of certification.
Why Should I Get Vegan Certification?
There are multiple reasons to get vegan certified. While the word ‘vegan’ is not legally defined by any jurisdiction in the world, vegans rely on certification companies like Validated Vegan to provide creditability for brands and products. In the past, brands have claimed that their product was vegan, but inspections revealed that cross-contamination took place. We strive to weed out imposters to ensure every brand that is labeled ‘vegan certified’ is vegan.