'Sattvik', world's first certification for vegetarian food, launched
New Delhi, Sep 17 : The Sattvik Council Certification scheme, the world's first vegetarian food safety and regulatory compliance for vegetarian and allied adherents, was launched with global audit partner Bureau Veritas here on Friday.
On the lines of 'halal' certification preferred by the followers of Islam and 'Kosher' by the Jews, this is the first of its kind global-level certification that will be a one-stop for all vegetarians across the globe. It is offering four types of certifications: 'Sattvik Sattvam', 'Sattvik Vegetarian', 'Sattvik Vegan' and 'Sattvik Jain'.
Founded by the Sattvik Council of India, the main objective of the scheme is to render a 'Vegetarian Environment' for the vegetarian/vegan consumers in India and global markets by creating SOPs in all the applicable areas having the potential for guaranteed 100 per cent vegetarian environment.
"Sattvik is an umbrella term. For example, there are 200 variations such as food, hospitality, textiles, dairy, etc. We did not want a synonym. So, we zeroed in on this umbrella term," founder of the Sattvik Council of India, Abhishek Biswas, told IANS.
"Our certification is aimed at improving the overall performance of the vegetarian food quality and food safety management systems for the consumers. We are not into promoting vegetarianism. We are simply a standard provider, just like an ISO," he said.
"People are going to reach out to us. We are now operative in 170 countries. Veritas is our partner; we have nothing to worry," Biswas added.
The company aims to certify approximately 1 million establishments, including kitchens, hotels, products and textiles by 2025.
Former Chief Minister of Haryana, Bhupinder Singh Hooda; ex-Union minister and MP from Bareilly, Santosh Gangwar; Chairman, Sattvik Council of India, Vagish Pathak; Senior Vice President, CIF South Asia Region, Bureau Veritas, Amit Ghosh; and Head, South Asia Certification Business, Bureau Veritas, Jagdheesh N Manian, were present on the occasion.