The biggest Swiss supermarket chain ‘Migros’ started to use the V-sign on their meat substitutes in 1996 and therefore already in my first EVU News edited in Switzerland I highly recommended to all vegetarian/vegan societies in Europe to have the V sign registered. I wrote in the EVU News 3+4, 96, p. 8: ‘Historic vegetarian Year in Switzerland’:... On the packing there is for the first time in Switzerland the international vegetarian label. Renato Pichler, president [newly elected Deputy Secretary of EVU], had been smart enough to have the label registered and protected for his society. (This is advisable to do in any country: go and have the label registered and protected!)

We feared that some non-vegetarian company might register the V-sign for their purpose and therefore the Council of the EVU decided to have the V-sign registered in the following European countries: Austria, Benelux, Great Britain, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Poland, Portugal and Sweden. The protection is valid from July 1997. In Switzerland it had already been registered in January 1996. The significant amount of money for the registration was advanced by a private member.

The V-sign which was created by the Italian artist Bruno Nascimben and has been presented for world-wide use at the EVU Congress 1985 in Cervia Italy is the most used vegetarian symbol from Canada, USA to Europe and Australia and we strongly hope that many more vegetarian societies will adopt the sign, in order to have one symbol throughout the world for vegetarianism. The fact that the Vegan symbol is the same sign with a little sunflower in the middle makes it even better known.

There have been some informal contacts with the VSUK already for it is desirable that the biggest vegetarian society in Europe should adopt the V-sign too.

A special committee of the EVU is working out rules for the general and commercial use of the V-symbol. and as soon as there is any news you will be informed. - Sigrid De Leo, EVU Secretary