The rise of novel fermentation-based technologies marks a transformative shift in the food industry, offering a new way to produce proteins, fats and functional ingredients with enhanced sustainability and efficiency. As this sector grows, consumers face a crucial challenge: how can they differentiate between conventional vegan products and innovative products that are animal-free but very closely related or identical to animal products? Clear labelling is essential to bridge this knowledge gap. The Cell Base spoke to Renato Pichler, V-Label founder, to find out more about the implications of this new labelling system.

For over 25 years, with more than 70,000 products certified globally, V-Label has set the standard for certifying vegan and vegetarian products, providing clarity and trust for millions of consumers. Building on this legacy, F-Label – following closely behind the introduction of the C-Label – emerges as the first dedicated certification for fermentation-derived biotech foods, ensuring transparency and credibility in this rapidly evolving space.

Fermentation is a versatile process that powers the development of a wide range of food innovations. From precision fermentation, which produces dairy proteins and other animal-identical ingredients without the need for animals, to biomass fermentation, which efficiently cultivates nutrient-rich microbial protein, the technology is reshaping our food system. While these advancements hold great promise for sustainability, nutrition and food security, they also introduce complexity. Consumers and retailers need a reliable way to identify such products, understand their origins and distinguish them from vegan or cultivated alternatives.

F-Label provides this clarity by offering a recognisable certification that signals animal-free production methods. It assures consumers that certified products meet rigorous standards for transparency, ethical sourcing, and purity. F-Label helps consumers make informed choices about the foods they purchase.

As with any emerging category, trust and understanding are key to consumer adoption. Just as V-Label and C-Label have brought clarity to plant-based and cultivated foods, F-Label serves as an essential tool for the precision fermentation sector, fostering confidence among consumers and facilitating market growth. By clearly distinguishing fermentation-based products, F-Label supports both consumers and producers in navigating the future of food with greater transparency and ease.

Here, we asked Renato a few questions about the new label and its implications for the food and beverage industry.

Could you share the main vision behind launching this label for precision fermented products? What role do you hope it will play in shaping the industry?

The F-Label was created to bring clarity, transparency, and trust to the rapidly evolving field of animal-free production methods, including precision fermentation, biomass fermentation, syngas fermentation and cell-free synthesis.

As companies develop innovative compounds that replace traditionally animal-derived ingredients, consumers and businesses alike need a clear and reliable certification that verifies no animals were used in the production process. Our goal is to bridge the gap between technological advancement and consumer confidence, ultimately accelerating the adoption of sustainable, animal-free solutions across industries.

Given that this is the first label of its kind, what prompted the timing of the launch? Why is now the right moment for introducing it?

The timing is crucial because animal-free production methods are now commercially viable and scaling rapidly. In fact, F-Label technologies are in some cases already on the market. In the past, precision fermentation and other technologies were primarily used for very specific fields such as insulin in pharmaceuticals, but today, they’re already beginning to transform the food industry.

With growing consumer demand for ethical and sustainable products, as well as increased interest in transparency, launching F-Label now ensures that both consumers and businesses have a trusted standard to rely on as this sector expands; not just for food, but also other non-food applications.

What impact do you anticipate this label will have on industry transparency and traceability? How might it address key concerns within cellular agriculture?

One of the biggest concerns in alternative protein and biotechnology is clear labeling and traceability. Consumers want to know how products are made and whether they align with their values. The F-Label guarantees that no animals were involved in the production process, helping both businesses and regulators navigate these new, highly technical innovations with greater clarity. It also creates a standardised framework that ensures companies disclose key production details, making it easier for consumers to make informed choices.

As technology is developing quickly in this area, it is very important for companies to keep their production methods secret. Here the F-Label plays a key role, as it can keep their IP confidential while also ensuring all requirements have been met towards the public.

How do you envision this label influencing acceptance of precision fermented products among industry stakeholders, consumers and regulatory bodies?

The F-Label acts as an interface between producers and consumers. Acceptance of next-gen animal-free products hinges on trust and understanding. The F-Label serves as a clear, independent verification, giving consumers peace of mind and helping brands build credibility. Having an independent third-party check production methods, provides yet another layer to the precision fermentation ecosystem, which will help boost acceptance.

Are there any specific consumer or market trends that inspired the development of this label? How will it meet these evolving demands?

Absolutely. Several key trends drove the creation of F-Label:

• Growing demand for transparency in food and material production.

• Ethical consumerism, with people actively seeking animal-free alternatives.

• Sustainability concerns, as consumers aim to reduce their environmental impact.

• New technological breakthroughs that blur the lines between traditional categories like 'vegan' and 'animal-based'.

• Health concerns: consumers want to know exactly what they eat and how it is produced. People with allergies don’t want any animal-like ingredients, while others want animal ingredients but without the risk of salmonella, antibiotics, etc.

By certifying products based on their production process, F-Label meets these modern consumer demands while encouraging innovation.

Could you share any exclusive insights into the development process? Were there particular challenges or breakthroughs that shaped the label’s final form?

One key challenge was defining the scope of certification, as even within the development phase, many scientific breakthroughs were being made. Therefore, one goal is for the label to remain inclusive for emerging technologies, even those that aren’t yet here. While bioidentical compounds like precision-fermented dairy proteins are a clear fit, we also wanted to certify functional replacements, such as a fat molecule that isn’t identical to an animal-derived one but serves the exact same purpose in a product.

This early period of the F-Label will be especially formative, and each application will need to be examined individually with care, especially the not so clear-cut examples. Here, our focus will lie on clear and transparent outward communication.

Do you expect this label to become a benchmark or inspire similar standards across the cultivated sector? If so, which areas of the industry might be most influenced?

Yes, we see F-Label setting a new standard for transparency in biotech-driven food and material production. As science continues to replace animal-derived compounds with ethical, sustainable alternatives, we expect F-Label to influence global labelling discussions.

Are there any long-term goals tied to this label, such as fostering industry innovation, supporting partnerships or advancing consumer education?

The F-Label is also intended to stimulate discussion about these new technologies. We will also play an important role in consumer questions. Ultimately, the goal is the same as with V-Label and C-Label: to greatly reduce the use of animals.