66. The Committee recalled that its last session had considered a proposal of South Africa regarding the elaboration of definitions for "vegetarian", as these products were widely sold with a variety of claims which might create consumer confusion (ALINORM 97/22A, paras. 72-73). Following their approval as new work by the 22nd Session of the Commission, the proposed draft Guidelines had been circulated for comments at Step 3.
67. The proposed draft Recommendations for Use of the Term "Vegetarian" were presented by the Delegation of South Africa, who noted that the use of the term "vegetarian" without qualification created consumer confusion, especially in consideration of the various diets included under this generic classification (e.g., "vegetarian", "lacto-ovo vegetarian", "lacto-vegetarian" and "vegan"). The proposal was presented as an amendment to either the General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods or the General Guidelines on Claims.
69. The proposed draft Recommendations for Use of the Term "Vegetarian" were presented by the Delegation of South Africa, who noted that the use of the term "vegetarian" without qualification created consumer confusion, especially in consideration of the various diets included under this generic classification (e.g., "vegetarian", "lacto-ovo vegetarian", "lacto-vegetarian" and "vegan"). The proposal was presented as an amendment to either the General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods or the General Guidelines on Claims.
70. The delegation of India pointed out that the majority of the Indian population were strict vegetarians and therefore suggested that the term "vegetarian" or "strict vegetarian" should be restricted to those products which did not contain meat, poultry, fish, dairy products or eggs. India and other delegations noted that any proposed terms would need to be carefully defined in view of varying terminology (e.g., "vegan") and cultural differences in various countries of the world.
71. Other delegations were of the opinion that definitions for specific terms were not required, especially since they felt that the General Labelling Standard and the General Guidelines on Claims adequately covered such claims through the use of ingredient list labelling. The Committee agreed that there was no need to elaborate general guidelines or standards for the use of the term "vegetarian" and that any work in this area should be restricted to the elaboration of definitions for claims used on product labels.
Status of the Proposed Draft Recommendations for the Use of the Term "Vegetarian"
72. The Committee thanked South Africa for its efforts, and accepted their offer to redraft the document, in collaboration with India, on the basis of comments received and the above discussions, for circulation and further consideration at its next session.
