The Vegan America Certification was created to bring clarity and trust to a rapidly growing market. As more people choose plant-based and vegan products, it’s not always easy to know what’s truly vegan, and what isn’t. Our certification solves that by giving businesses a clear standard and giving consumers confidence in their choices.
Two Types of Certification
Certified 100% Vegan
The Certified 100% Vegan is the gold standard. Products must be entirely free of animal ingredients, animal testing, and animal involvement at every stage of production - even in hidden processes like sugar refining or winemaking. It requires full traceability and represents the highest level of commitment to vegan values.
Certified Plant-Based
The Certified Plant-Based tier confirms that a product contains no animal ingredients, is free from animal testing, and meets rigorous formulation standards, while allowing up to 10% non-plant but non-animal inputs such as minerals, vitamins, or enzymes. Unlike the 100% Vegan certification, this tier does not require full upstream traceability of every supplier. Companies must ensure their ingredients are plant-based and not animal-tested, but they are not obligated to verify each supplier’s processing methods. For example, a company may not know whether its sugar is refined with bone char or produced through vegan processes. This certification is designed for businesses and products in transition toward full vegan practices, or where complete supply chain transparency is still being developed, and applies across food, personal care, fashion, household goods, and services that exclude animal-based inputs.
Why Two Certifications?
Not every company is at the same stage of the journey. In our conversations with businesses and consumers, we found that many companies lack full visibility into their suppliers, while many vegan consumers primarily care about the ingredients in the final product. By offering two certification tiers, Vegan America makes it possible for more businesses to participate today while encouraging steady progress toward full vegan integrity.
- Certified Plant-Based emphasizes accessibility and transparency.
- Certified 100% Vegan represents complete alignment with vegan ethics and sustainability.
Together, both empower consumers to make informed choices and support brands that are driving meaningful change.
What You Should Know
- No Animal Testing: Both certifications prohibit animal testing.
- No Animal-Based Products: Both certifications prohibit animal-based products. In particular: meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, honey of all form are strictly prohibited.
- Sensitive Ingredients: Certain ingredients require extra documentation to ensure compliance with the 100% vegan certificate - for example, cane sugar must be confirmed free of bone char processing in every step of the supply chain. Similarly, alcohol or wine must verify no use of animal-based fining agents.
- Transparency & Accountability: We verify ingredients, sourcing, and processes, and may conduct audits to ensure ongoing compliance.
- Wide Scope: Certification applies to food, drinks, cosmetics, fashion, household goods, and even services
- Consumer Trust: Our logo is a mark of integrity, helping shoppers instantly identify products they can trust.
Why It Matters
Every purchase is a vote for the future. Vegan America Certification helps businesses show their commitment, and helps consumers support brands that align with their values. Together, we’re building a more sustainable and compassionate world.