The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has told Blue Heron that it can’t label products “vegan cheese” at its shop in Vancouver.
The company has protested that the CFIA allows others to market “plant-based” and “dairy-free” vegan cheese.
The Globe and Mail reports that “the labelling of vegan products has been a growing issue for non-dairy producers, who are confused about the regulations, uncertain as to what words they can use and concerned by apparent discrepancies in a system where enforcement is initiated by anonymous complaints.”
Dairy Farmers of Canada might be behind complaints about :"vegan cheese" and said it wants the regulations enforced.
It doesn't look fair for millionaire dairy farmers to use lawyers and professional lobbying to frustrate tiny shop owners.
Karen McAthy, owner of Blue Heron, said she wants clear instructions so she can finish a new label design.
She said her discussions with the CFIA officer have been amicable, frustrating and his replies “opaque,” reports the Globe and Mail.
Lynda Turner, owner of Fauxmagerie Zengarry in Alexandria, Ont., felt the same frustration in 2015, when the CFIA asked her to address, within 30 days, the “cashew cheese” product descriptions on her labels.
When she went back to them with three proposals, they accepted, without explanation, “100 per cent dairy-free cashew cheese.”
She says she still worries that they will reverse their decision.
“I would like to see the regulations be made clear and the procedures simplified. I would like the CFIA to provide some guidance.
‘We are all just small businesses and we don’t have the funds for lawyers. It’s very expensive to go through a whole new product design,” she told the Globe and Mail.
She said revamping label designs costs her about $8,000.
The Dairy Farmers of Canada said it sees no need for change or review.
“The standards of identity for dairy products have served Canadians well for many decades, and should continue to be respected,” said Lucie Boileau, director of communications for DFC.
