Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian symbol

Recently I had been to my cousin home in Mysore to see his little angel baby girl, post formal chit-chat and playing with her... somehow they forced and finally start to prepare chicken kabhab, though they don’t have it on Saturday’s. While looking over kabhab powder pack cover, saw small green veg symbol just below the BIG image of fried chicken piece and wondered for a sec that, how come green rather than red?(later come to know it supposed to be brown). Than my buddy words made me to realize that,  it’s just ingredient! Immediate question to me was, what is that green and red for? Here comes my new post…

There is a common misconception that, brown dot denotes egg-products and that meat-products are distinguished by a red dot. And there is an additional virtual category called Eggetarian (few vegetarian say as such, who neither just can’t avoid egg nor wish to be called as Non-vegetarian). According to FOOD SAFETY AND STANDARDS (PACKAGING AND LABELING) REGULATIONS, 2011 there are no distinguishing marks for egg and milk products, other than the broad vegetarian and non-vegetarian classifications.

Packaged food products sold in India are required to be labeled with a mandatory mark in order to be distinguished between vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Though the symbol were in effect since 2006, got a mandatory status after the framing of the respective regulations (Food safety and standards (packaging and labeling) regulation in 2011)

If any nuts ask me to differentiate, I’d prefer to describe Non-Veg(Animal-based ingredients other than milk and honey), it doesn’t mean I like more; just to avoid subsequent questions.

Correct Symbol - 

Wrong Symbol -

Not sure, whether this RED symbol (wrong color code) made intentionally in some perspective to create public awareness (as this isn’t universal rule, but made in India) OR just poor print? Perhaps I would easily consider the later reason above, if I had never seen the accurate color brown. So still cynic on it.

There is no restriction where logo must be on product cover like what we have lung puncture image on cigar pack. Though company might be using different dimension with space OR package concern, there is specification from Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.

Size of the logo

Sl No.	Area of principal display panel	Minimum size of diameters in mm
1	Upto 100 cms	3
2	Above 100 cms & upto 500 cms	4
3	Above 500 cms  & upto 2500 cms	6
4	Above 2500 cms	8

 And some more for anyone’s interest, company must put these too on their food package

“Best before”, “Date of manufacture”, “Date of packaging” & “Expiry date”

“Vegetarian Food”, “Non- Vegetarian Food”, “Prepackaged”, “Principal Display Panel” & “Infant”,  “Lot | code | Batch No”& “Multipiece package”(labeled pieces of the same commodity of identical quantity as a bunch)

Ref