Awareness of vegetarianism and veganism is high in the UK, but vegetarians and vegans can still have a hard time finding food that they can be absolutely sure fits their dietary and ethical requirements.

Those in the UK may have it easier than in many European countries, where it's not unusual for a little bit of ham to turn up in a supposedly meat-free dish. In the UK, restaurants will usually indicate which of their dishes is vegetarian and vegan.

There's still some confusion as to what vegetarians and vegans do and don't eat, partly because many people who call themselves vegetarian can sometimes turn a blind eye to the small print on labels. That packet of chewy sweets may get the better of them, even if they know there's gelatine lurking inside.
In the name of the law

There's no law, either at UK or EU level, that requires food to be labelled in terms of its suitability for vegetarians or vegans

Many vegetarians and vegans, however, want to be absolutely sure that they aren't consuming any product or by-product of slaughter or, in the case of vegans, any animal-derived product at all. This is made difficult by the fact that there's no law, either at UK or EU level, that requires food to be labelled in terms of its suitability for vegetarians or vegans. Such labelling is purely voluntary, and is left open to the interpretation of the manufacturer or retailer - unlike organic food, which is regulated by EU law and must meet certain standards before calling itself 'organic'.

However, by law, vegetarian and vegan foods, as with all foods, must not have misleading labelling, or the manufacturers can leave themselves open to prosecution, so you should be able to feel relatively confident that a product that's labelled as vegetarian or vegan is suitable.Click for more