Who is behind the logo?
When our verdicts say “certified by ...”, the name comes from a certification mark recorded on the packaging. Here is who those organisations are, what they actually check, and where to verify a claim at the source. One rule above all: the logo on your physical package always outranks any website, ours included.
Halal certifiers
Halal certification resolves what a label cannot: the source of the gelatin, the slaughter method, the origin of E471. Different bodies apply different standards, which is why two certified products can follow different rules.
Halal Food Authority (HFA)
United Kingdom · Food and beverage manufacturers, slaughterhouses, food service
One of the two major UK halal certifiers, operating since 1994. Accepts certain forms of mechanical slaughter that stricter bodies do not, which is the main point of difference from HMC.
Halal Monitoring Committee (HMC)
United Kingdom · Butchers, restaurants, meat suppliers; strong on fresh meat monitoring
Known for the stricter of the two main UK positions: hand slaughter only, with independent inspectors monitoring the chain. Mostly certifies meat outlets rather than packaged supermarket goods.
EuroHalal
Belgium / EU · Food manufacturers across Europe
Brussels-based certifier working with European manufacturers exporting to Muslim-majority markets.
Halal Food Council of Europe
Europe · Manufacturers and ingredients
Certifies ingredients and finished products for the European market; recognised by several international accreditation bodies.
SFCVH (AVS-adjacent French control body)
France · Meat control and certification in France
French halal meat control organisation; seen on French-market products in our database.
Vegan certifiers
A vegan logo means an auditor checked the recipe and, in most schemes, the cross-contact controls too. It is the answer to ingredients like "natural flavouring" that a list alone cannot settle.
The Vegan Society (Vegan Trademark)
United Kingdom / global · Packaged foods, cosmetics; the sunflower Vegan Trademark
The oldest vegan organisation in the world (1944). Its sunflower trademark audits ingredients and cross-contact controls; one of the strongest vegan signals a label can carry.
European Vegetarian Union (V-Label)
Europe · The V-Label seal, vegan and vegetarian variants
The yellow V-Label is Europe’s most widespread vegan/vegetarian seal, licensed per product with ingredient audits. We only treat the explicitly vegan variant as vegan.
Vegan Action (Certified Vegan)
United States · US packaged goods; the "Certified Vegan" logo
US certifier behind the common "Certified Vegan" heart logo on American products.
VeganOK
Italy · Italian and EU products
Widely used on Italian-market products in our database.
VegeCert
Canada · North American packaged goods
Canadian vegan/vegetarian certifier, often seen alongside kosher certification.
Gluten-free certifiers
Gluten-free claims are legally regulated (20ppm in the EU and US), and certification programs typically test stricter than the law. For coeliac shoppers, the certified mark is the strongest signal on the shelf.
GFCO (Gluten-Free Certification Organization)
North America / global · Packaged foods; certifies to 10ppm, stricter than the legal 20ppm
The most widespread gluten-free certification mark. Certified products are tested to a stricter threshold than the law requires, which matters for coeliac shoppers.
DZG (Deutsche Zöliakie-Gesellschaft)
Germany / EU · The crossed-grain symbol licensing in Germany
German coeliac society licensing the crossed-grain symbol; part of the European coeliac association network.
Canadian Celiac Association
Canada · Gluten-Free Certification Program (GFCP)
Runs the GFCP mark seen on Canadian and some US products.
Profiles are editorial summaries with links to the official sources. Certification is granted per product line or site, not blanket per brand; when in doubt, use the certifier's own verification channels. See also our E-number guide and the Mushbooh explainer.