More than a third of foods labeled as plant-based contain animal products, according to a British study, prompting experts to warn shoppers with severe allergies that they could face “tragic consequences,” The Guardian reported, according to News.ro.

Scientists have found traces of eggs or milk in a number of products labeled as vegan or plant-based, and trading standards chiefs have called for legislation to stop consumers being “exploited by unscrupulous food companies”.

Misleading labeling can cause emotional distress for those who choose to avoid animal products for ethical reasons, but it can also pose a threat to people with intolerances and allergies, experts say.

Inspectors from Hampshire and Kent Science Services found that 24 (39%) of 61 products labeled as vegan contained eggs or milk. From the analyzed sample, 13 products presented themselves as vegan alternatives to dairy products, and 48 as meat alternatives. A total of 90% of them were found to be unsatisfactory due to traces of dairy products or inaccuracies in labeling and nutritional information.

Among the products analyzed were vegan equivalents for chocolate truffles, pizza, hamburgers, muffins and sticky sandwiches.

The issue of regulating vegan food

“The lack of legal regulation can be exploited by unethical food companies who claim that food is vegan when in fact it contains animal products. Perhaps more worryingly, this ambiguity can have disastrous and sometimes tragic consequences for those who suffer from allergies to animal products such as milk. and eggs We recognize that people have unfortunately lost their lives because of this, and that’s why we’re calling for more clarity on what can and cannot legally be labeled vegan and plant-based,” said John Herriman, CEO of the Trading Standards Institute. (CTSI).

CTSI surveyed 2,000 people and found that 76% of them believe that what is marketed as vegan is completely free of animal ingredients. But there is currently no statutory definition of vegan food, which allows companies to market their products as vegan even if they contain traces of dairy or eggs. In addition, the UK and EU do not have threshold requirements for animal products, unlike the requirements for traces of gluten.

About 1.5% of the population are vegans (they don’t eat any animal products, not even milk or eggs), and one in six people is allergic to milk or crustaceans. A survey conducted by CTSI shows that among respondents with a milk allergy, 84.6% believe that vegan products are safe to consume. This belief was highest (92.7%) among people aged 35 to 44.

In a notable case in 2017, a woman named Celia Marsh died after eating a Pret a Manger wrap that was labeled vegan but contained milk proteins due to cross-contamination during the manufacturing process.

Kerry Nicol, director of policy and campaigns at CTSI, said vegetarian and vegan diets had grown in popularity. On the other hand, there has been an increase in the number of people with animal allergies who choose products labeled as vegan, believing that they can be consumed safely. There has also been an “increase in complaints and cases where consumers believe they have been misled”.

Half of people polled by CTSI believed that “plant-based” and “vegan” meant the same thing, leading allergy sufferers to be misled into thinking they were safe.

However, consumers should be wary of the ingredients in products labeled as plant-based or vegan, as they may contain: casein, milk protein; lactose, milk protein and sugar; and whey, a byproduct of milk. They should also be careful with collagen, which comes from the skin and bones of animals, and tallow, which is animal fat.