BeVeg International certifies vegan products and services — including restaurants. The benefit of the BeVeg vegan restaurant certification is that it ensures controls are in place to reduce and eliminate risks for cross-contamination with animal materials. The BeVeg vegan restaurant program is an ISO accredited vegan standard that requires global vegan awareness training for restaurant owners and staff, posted policies, and documented protocols to prevent cross-contamination.

“Manufacturers and restaurants take kosher claims, gluten-free, and allergen claims seriously, and it’s about time they treat vegan claims with the same level of care. We don’t want animal residue on our products and we are entitled to the same industry respect with respect to vegan claims,” says Carissa Kranz, attorney founder and CEO of BeVeg International, the world’s leading vegan certification firm.

The BeVeg International vegan restaurant standard and training program was drafted in concert with industry experts like Heather Landex, a passionate vegan, and perhaps the only vegan food safety restaurant auditor and consultant in the world. Heather is a food safety expert and seasoned allergen auditor, trainer, and consultant for food service businesses. Since the year 2000, Heather has worked in eight countries, and in more than 1000 food service businesses, advising and consulting with large food safety and safety compliance companies, The Olympic Games, and some of the largest restaurant chains and Michelin star restaurants in the world. Heather travels extensively for work across countries in her efforts to help restaurants and hotels keep food safety claims, allergen claims, and vegan claims legal and up to code.

“I would like to see a legitimate reduction in the use of ‘may contain’ disclaimers, and an improvement in hygiene standards. I wish to motivate the food service industry to produce cleaner, healthier options, and train them on vegan claim integrity through BeVeg vegan standards,” says Landex.

Her book ‘Inclusive: The New Exclusive: How the Food Service Industry Can Stop Leaving Money on the Table’ explains why food safety is important for a vegan food service business, what a vegan food service provider needs to take into account in regards to safety, and at what stages of the business, why vegan and plant-based food businesses are leaving money on the table by excluding customers with certain dietary requirements, what’s involved in ensuring your vegan café, restaurant or catering business can cater for other minority groups such as gluten-free, celiac or those with other allergies, the costs involved in both food safety and making your business more inclusive, what street food vendors need to be aware of when it comes to food safety, and how to keep the business and hospitality sector successful and protected from litigation. Her purpose and first-of-its-kind approach align succinctly with BeVeg vegan restaurant and business certification.

Landex was recently appointed to serve on the BeVeg executive team as Chief Compliance Officer for the Restaurant and Hospitality sector.

 Indian Box restaurant in Chile discusses the importance for vegan certification for restaurants with Beveg CEO, attorney Carissa Kranz.