A short dictionary of the words that come up when you start reading labels, menus and articles about vegan living. Each entry says what the word means and, where it matters, what it does not mean. Legal definitions come from Turkish legislation and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s labelling guidance, and for wine fining and food supplements from EU law. Most other terms come from the organisations that coined or run them; nutrition and research terms come from bodies such as the US National Library of Medicine, the World Health Organization and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Sources are listed at the end.
Jump to: Ways of eating · Animal welfare and ethics · Labels and certification · In the kitchen · Nutrition and health measures · Reading research
Ways of eating
Vegan
The Vegan Society, founded in November 1944 by the people who coined the word, today defines veganism as a way of living that “seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose”. In diet, that means no meat, fish, dairy, eggs or honey. The definition goes beyond food: when people search for “vegan cosmetics” or “vegan shoes”, they mean products made without animal ingredients. The Turkish Language Association’s dictionary had no entry for “vegan” as of September 2026. See how the word “vegan” was born.
Vegetarian
Someone who does not eat meat, fish or poultry. The Vegetarian Society’s shortest version is “simply stop eating meat, fish and chicken”. Eggs and dairy are not excluded by the word itself; the prefixes below say which ones are kept. The Turkish Language Association gives “etyemez” as the Turkish equivalent. See World Vegetarian Day.
Lacto-vegetarian
Eats dairy but no meat, fish or eggs. “Lacto” means milk.
Ovo-vegetarian
Eats eggs but no meat, fish or dairy. “Ovo” means egg.
Lacto-ovo vegetarian
Eats both dairy and eggs, but no meat, fish or poultry. This is what most people mean by “vegetarian”.
“Lacto-vegan” and “ovo-vegan”
Not correct terms, although people do search for them. A diet that includes milk or eggs is by definition not vegan. The correct terms are lacto-vegetarian and ovo-vegetarian.
Pescatarian
Eats fish but not meat. Because fish are animals, a pescatarian is not a vegetarian.
Pollotarian, “semi-vegetarian”
Informal terms for people who avoid red meat but eat chicken (pollotarian), or who eat meat only now and then. Like pescatarian, they describe a diet with less meat, not a vegetarian one.
Flexitarian
Cambridge Dictionary: “a person who eats mainly vegetarian food but eats meat occasionally”. There is no set amount; the word describes a direction rather than a rule.
Raw vegan
A vegan diet in which most or all food is eaten uncooked.
Fruitarian
Cambridge Dictionary: “a person who only eats fruit”. It is the most restrictive diet on this list.
Animal welfare and ethics
Speciesism
Cambridge Dictionary: “the idea that one species … especially human beings, is more important and should have more rights than another”. Richard Ryder, then a hospital scientist in Britain, coined the word in a 1970 leaflet against animal experiments. Looking back in 2010, he wrote that he wanted to extend the 1960s campaigns against racism, sexism and classism to other species.
Animal rights
The view that animals have interests that must be respected for their own sake, not only when it suits people. It goes further than animal welfare, which accepts the use of animals and aims to reduce their suffering. See Tom Regan’s Empty Cages.
Adoption
Giving a home to an animal from a shelter or from the street instead of buying one. In vegan ethics, adopting instead of buying means not paying for animals bred for sale.
Why honey is not vegan
The Vegan Society’s reasoning: honey is “made by bees for bees” and is the colony’s energy source, and because the society’s definition of veganism excludes exploitation, not only cruelty, harvesting it is incompatible with veganism. According to the society, when honey is removed from a hive it is replaced with a sugar substitute that lacks honey’s micronutrients.
Wool, silk and leather
All three are animal products, so vegans do not use them; the Vegan Society lists them together. Less obvious animal ingredients include beeswax, lanolin (wool grease) and shellac; see animal-derived food additives.
Egg code (0, 1, 2, 3)
In Türkiye, every Class A egg must be stamped with a code at least 2 mm high. The first digit is the farming method; then come TR, the province code and the farm’s own code (padding zeros may be left off), and after a hyphen the house (barn) number. The Turkish Food Codex Egg Communiqué (2014/55) sets the first digit:
| First digit | Farming method (legal wording) |
|---|---|
| 0 | Organic |
| 1 | Access to an open-air run (“free range”) |
| 2 | Barn, without cages |
| 3 | Cages |
The communiqué’s own example for an organic egg is 0TR060000060000-01. The laying date may also be stamped, but that is optional. So “cage-free egg code” and “free-range egg number” have a simple answer: eggs starting with 3 come from caged hens. Codes 2 and 1 are both cage-free systems (1 adds access to an outdoor run), and 0 means organic.
In the cage-free system stamped 2, hens are kept inside a building without cages; the legislation calls all cage-free systems “alternative systems”. Code 1 adds access to an outdoor run through openings in the building; it tells you hens can go outside, not how long they spend there. Since a July 2025 amendment, the communiqué’s wording is “access to an open-air run (free range)” instead of “free range (access to an open-air run)”. For vegans, all four codes mean the same thing: eggs are an animal product, and the code only describes how the hen was kept.
Cage (unenriched and enriched)
Türkiye’s regulation on the protection of laying hens describes two kinds of cage. In an unenriched cage, each hen must have at least 400 cm² of floor space, less than two-thirds of an A4 sheet (about 624 cm²); the figure was lowered from 550 cm² to 400 cm² by an amendment in the Official Gazette of 13 January 2026. On existing farms, unenriched cages may no longer be used from 1 January 2029. An enriched cage must give each hen at least 750 cm², of which 600 cm² is usable space (still less than an A4 sheet), plus a nest, litter for pecking and scratching, and at least 15 cm of perch per hen. Both count as code 3.
Labels and certification
“Vegan” on food labels in Türkiye
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s labelling guidance (first published 26 November 2024) sets the rules. Labels may say “suitable for vegetarians/vegans” and, in addition, “plant-based” or “contains no animal ingredients”. Vegan products may not use dairy names; coconut milk is the only exception named. Vegan and vegetarian products may not use meat product names either, but may be called, for example, a plant-based or vegan “köfte”, sausage, salami, burger or nugget. Phrases such as “meat-flavoured” or “butter-tasting” are not allowed; a flavouring may be declared in the form “cheese-flavoured vegan cracker”, but not “vegan cheese-flavoured cracker”. Where a product looks like a meat or dairy product, the vegan or vegetarian statement must appear with the name and brand in the principal field of vision, in contrast with the background and at least as large as the name. The guidance also says such foods may not be advertised or presented in a way that encourages them as substitutes for animal foods. Businesses have until 31 December 2026 to comply.
Plant drink (not “plant milk”)
Under the same guidance, drinks made from soya, oats, almonds, hazelnuts and the like may not use the word “milk” (süt) on Turkish labels; they are called “drinks” (içecek). They may say “lactose-free”, but not “contains no milk or dairy products”. See the fortified plant drink checklist.
Vegan certification
A label checked by an independent organisation, not just the producer’s own claim. The oldest is the Vegan Society’s Vegan Trademark, which has certified products since 1990. See vegan certification labels and certified plant-based or certified vegan.
V-Label
An internationally recognised seal for products that are vegan or vegetarian. It grew out of the “V” symbol of the European Vegetarian Union and was first used to license products in Switzerland in 1996. The label comes in a “vegan” and a “vegetarian” version, so check which one.
Leaping Bunny
A cruelty-free certification for cosmetics and household products. Certified companies must set a fixed cut-off date after which no animal testing may be done for their products or ingredients, check their suppliers through a monitoring system, accept independent audits, and renew their commitment every year. The standard covers animal testing, not ingredients, so check separately whether a product is vegan. See how to read a vegan cosmetics label.
Cruelty-free
Not tested on animals. On its own, the phrase is not a certification and says nothing about ingredients; “vegan” and “cruelty-free” answer two different questions.
Plant-based
Cambridge Dictionary defines it as “consisting or made completely of plants, or mainly of plants”. That “mainly” is the problem: as a diet, “plant-based” does not necessarily mean vegan. On Turkish food labels, “plant-based” is allowed alongside the “suitable for vegetarians/vegans” statement.
“Vegan-friendly”
An informal phrase and not a certification. The ministry’s list of example statements is open-ended, but “vegan-friendly” is not on it. Read the ingredients list.
Accidentally vegan
A product that is not marketed as vegan but happens to contain no animal ingredients, such as some biscuits, crisps or dark chocolates. The ingredients list is the only way to know.
“May contain traces of…”
An allergen warning, not an ingredient. According to the ministry’s guidance, it may be used only when a thorough risk assessment shows that contamination cannot be avoided, and it is optional. The same guidance says that if animal ingredients are present through unintentional and unavoidable contamination, despite good manufacturing practice, this does not prevent a product from being described as vegan or vegetarian. For vegans, “may contain milk” on a product made without milk is aimed at people with a milk allergy; it does not mean milk was added.
Fining agent
A substance added to wine or beer to clarify and stabilise it. According to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), the agent reacts with unwanted components to form a complex that can be separated from the drink, and the process is designed so that the agent does not remain. Even then, an animal product has been used to make the drink, which is why it matters to vegans. Traditional fining agents are animal products: gelatine, isinglass (made from the dried swim bladders of fish), casein (milk protein) and egg albumin. The EU list of authorised agents also includes non-animal ones such as bentonite, a clay, and chitosan derived from the fungus Aspergillus niger. Under EU rules, fish gelatine and isinglass used for fining beer and wine are exempt from allergen labelling, so the label is not a reliable guide; a vegan label or the producer’s own statement is. See is wine vegan?
In the kitchen
Seitan
A high-protein food made from wheat gluten and used in place of meat. It is not suitable for people with coeliac disease. See seitan: protein value, lysine and sodium.
Tofu
Made from soya, high in protein, with very little flavour of its own. Tofu set with calcium salts can be a good calcium source; the label tells you. See tofu and soy foods.
Tempeh
Soya beans that have been fermented and shaped into blocks, originally from Indonesia.
Nutritional yeast
A type of yeast used in vegan cooking to add flavour. It contains vitamin B12 only if B12 has been added; the Vegan Society lists “fortified nutritional yeast” among vegan B12 sources, so look for B12 in the nutrition table.
Aquafaba
The liquid from cooked chickpeas (or other beans), used instead of egg whites. In 2015, building on a French video showing chickpea foam, the American software engineer Goose Wohlt showed that it could make a stable vegan meringue, and he coined the name.
Agar
A thickening and gelling substance from seaweed, used instead of gelatine, which is of animal origin.
Soya mince (TVP)
Textured vegetable protein: a soya-based food used in place of mince. If you buy it pre-seasoned, check the salt content and the ingredients.
Vegan leather
A leather-like material made without animal skin. “Vegan” tells you the material is not of animal origin; it says nothing about what it is made of or how long it lasts, so check the composition.
Nutrition and health measures
Vitamin B12
The nutrient vegans most need to plan for: unfortified plant foods are not a reliable source. Reliable sources are supplements and fortified foods. See vitamin B12 for vegans.
ALA, EPA, DHA
Three omega-3 fatty acids. ALA comes from plants such as flaxseed and walnuts; EPA and DHA are found in fish and in algal oil, which is where fish get them. See omega-3 for vegans.
Non-haem iron
The form of iron in plant foods. It is absorbed less well than the haem iron in meat, but vitamin C eaten at the same meal improves absorption. See iron for vegans.
“Complete protein”
A protein that contains all nine essential amino acids in useful amounts. The phrase is often used to suggest that plant proteins are inferior; in practice, eating a variety of pulses, grains, nuts and seeds over the day covers amino acid needs. See protein quality in a vegan diet.
Fortified food
A food to which nutrients have been added, either in larger amounts than it normally contains or nutrients it does not normally contain. The term also covers putting back nutrients lost in refining or processing (US National Library of Medicine). The Vegan Society names fortified foods and supplements as the only reliable sources of vitamin B12 for vegans. Plant drinks, breakfast cereals and nutritional yeast are sold both fortified and unfortified, so the ingredient list is where to check. See soy drink or oat drink?
Dietary supplement
A product in capsule, tablet, powder or liquid form, taken by mouth to increase the intake of nutrients (US National Library of Medicine). In EU law, food supplements are “foodstuffs the purpose of which is to supplement the normal diet”, sold in measured doses. They are regulated as foods, not medicines, and their labelling and advertising must not claim that they prevent, treat or cure a disease. For vegans, the key one is vitamin B12, because fortified foods and supplements are its only reliable sources. See numbness or tingling after going vegan.
Protein quality (DIAAS)
How well a protein supplies the nine essential amino acids, once digestion is taken into account. In 2013 an expert consultation of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recommended a new measure, the digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAAS), to replace the older PDCAAS. For each essential amino acid, DIAAS compares the digestible amount in a gram of the food’s protein with the amount in a reference protein; the lowest of these ratios becomes the score. An amino acid that is low in one food can be made up by others eaten over the day (see “Complete protein”). See protein quality in a vegan diet.
Creatine, carnitine, taurine
Three compounds the human body makes for itself. Creatine is made in the liver and kidneys from the amino acids arginine and glycine; carnitine, also in the liver and kidneys, from lysine and methionine; taurine in small amounts in the liver. Food adds more, mainly from animal products: creatine comes chiefly from red meat and seafood, carnitine from red meat, fish and dairy, and taurine from seafood, meat, eggs and dairy. Vegetables contain no taurine at all; red algae are the exception. Whether the lower intake on a vegan diet matters differs for each one, and the linked series covers them one by one. See creatine, carnitine and taurine.
Body mass index (BMI)
Weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in metres (kg/m²). For adults, the World Health Organization (WHO) defines overweight as a BMI of 25 or more and obesity as 30 or more. The US National Center for Health Statistics classes a BMI below 18.5 as underweight and 18.5 to 24.9 as normal. BMI is linked to body fat, but the relationship varies with age and sex. For children and adolescents, age has to be taken into account, so their measurements are compared with WHO growth references for their age rather than with these cut-offs. See vegan children and growth.
LDL cholesterol
Cholesterol carried in the blood by low-density lipoproteins. It is often called “bad” cholesterol because a high LDL level leads to a build-up of cholesterol in the arteries; HDL, by contrast, is called “good” cholesterol (MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine). See does going vegan always lower cholesterol?
Free sugars
WHO’s term for sugars added to foods and drinks by the manufacturer, cook or consumer, plus the sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates. The sugars in fresh fruit and vegetables and those naturally present in milk are not counted, because there is no reported evidence of harm from them. WHO recommends keeping free sugars below 10% of total energy intake and suggests that going below 5%, roughly 25 grams (6 teaspoons) a day, would bring additional benefits. Honey therefore counts as free sugar, whatever its other qualities. See is honey vegan?
Ultra-processed food
The fourth and most processed group in the NOVA classification, developed by Carlos Monteiro and colleagues, which sorts foods by the nature, extent and purpose of the industrial processes they undergo rather than by their nutrients. FAO’s 2019 report describes ultra-processed foods as “formulations of ingredients, mostly of exclusive industrial use”, such as soft drinks and packaged sweet, fatty or salty snacks. “Vegan” and “ultra-processed” are separate questions: a product can be both. See young vegans and ultra-processed food.
Reading research
Systematic review and meta-analysis
A systematic review sets out to find, appraise and bring together all the studies that meet pre-set criteria for a specific question, using explicit methods designed to reduce bias (US National Library of Medicine). A meta-analysis is the statistical step that combines the results of those independent studies into a single summary estimate. Not every systematic review includes a meta-analysis. A meta-analysis is only as strong as the studies it pools: combining many observational studies gives a more precise estimate, but still not proof of cause and effect. See does a plant-based diet protect the heart?
Randomised controlled trial
A study with at least one test treatment and one control, in which a random process decides who receives which, and both groups are enrolled and followed at the same time (US National Library of Medicine). Because chance, not the participants, decides who gets what, other differences between the groups, including ones nobody measured, tend to even out, so a clear difference in the result is most likely due to the treatment. This is what lets a trial test cause and effect. See creatine on a vegan diet.
Observational study (cohort, cross-sectional)
A study in which researchers do not assign people to a diet or treatment; they record what people already do (US National Library of Medicine). In a cohort study, a defined group is followed over time to see who develops a disease. In a cross-sectional study, everything is measured at one point in time, so it cannot show which came first. Observational studies can show that a diet is associated with an outcome, but on their own cannot prove that it causes it: people who eat differently also tend to differ in other ways, such as smoking, exercise or income. Researchers adjust for the differences they measured, but cannot rule out those they did not. See vegetarian diets after 65.
Hazard ratio and confidence interval
A hazard ratio compares how often an event, such as a fracture or a heart attack, occurs over time in one group with how often it occurs in another. A value of 1 means no difference; 1.19 means the event occurred at a 19% higher rate in the first group, and 0.80 at a 20% lower rate. The 95% confidence interval is the range of values the data are compatible with: it is calculated by a method that, over many repeated studies, would capture the true value 95% of the time (US National Library of Medicine). If the interval for a ratio includes 1, the result is compatible with no difference and is not statistically significant. A hazard ratio is a relative measure: a 19% higher rate of a rare event can still mean only a few extra cases. See bone health and fracture risk.
Self-report
Information that participants give about themselves, in writing or verbally (US National Library of Medicine), such as their answer to the question “Do you consider yourself to be a vegetarian?” Diet studies rely heavily on it, and it can mislead. In a US survey of 11,180 people, 68% of those who described themselves as vegetarian reported eating meat, poultry or fish in 24-hour dietary recalls (Ghoreishi and colleagues, 2026). The recalls are self-reported too, but they ask what people actually ate rather than how they describe themselves. When a study’s “vegetarian” group includes people who eat meat, real differences between diets can be blurred. See most self-described vegetarians eat meat.
References
- Turkish Food Codex Egg Communiqué (2014/55), consolidated text including the amendments of 24 November 2017 (Official Gazette 30250) and 18 July 2025 (Official Gazette 32959). mevzuat.gov.tr. Accessed 29 September 2026.
- Regulation on Minimum Standards for the Protection of Laying Hens. Official Gazette 29183, 22 November 2014. resmigazete.gov.tr. Amended by Official Gazette 33136, 13 January 2026. resmigazete.gov.tr. Accessed 29 September 2026.
- Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, General Directorate of Food and Control. Turkish Food Codex Food Labelling and Consumer Information Regulation Guidance, first published 26 November 2024. tarimorman.gov.tr. Accessed 29 September 2026.
- Ankara Chamber of Commerce. Food labelling regulatory changes (compliance deadline 31 December 2026). Accessed 29 September 2026.
- The Vegan Society. Definition of veganism; The honey industry; General FAQs; The Vegan Trademark; Vitamin B12. Accessed 29 September 2026.
- Vegetarian Society. Eating veggie. Accessed 29 September 2026.
- Turkish Language Association. Güncel Türkçe Sözlük, entries “vejetaryen” and “vegan” (no entry). Accessed 29 September 2026.
- Cambridge Dictionary. Entries: lacto-vegetarian, ovo-vegetarian, flexitarian, fruitarian, pescatarian, plant-based, speciesism, seitan, tempeh, tofu, agar, textured vegetable protein, nutritional yeast, aquafaba. dictionary.cambridge.org. Accessed 29 September 2026.
- Ryder RD. Speciesism again: the original leaflet. Critical Society. 2010;(2). Accessed 29 September 2026.
- Leaping Bunny. The Corporate Standard of Compassion for Animals; The Leaping Bunny difference. Accessed 29 September 2026.
- V-Label. The history of V-Label; General information. Accessed 29 September 2026.
- Aquafaba.com. History of aquafaba. Accessed 29 September 2026.
- US National Library of Medicine. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH): Food, Fortified; Dietary Supplements; Body Mass Index; Cholesterol, LDL; Systematic Review; Meta-Analysis; Randomized Controlled Trial; Observational Study; Cohort Studies; Cross-Sectional Studies; Confidence Intervals; Self Report. meshb.nlm.nih.gov. Accessed 17 October 2026.
- World Health Organization. Obesity and overweight (fact sheet). Accessed 17 October 2026.
- World Health Organization. WHO calls on countries to reduce sugars intake among adults and children. News release, 4 March 2015. Accessed 17 October 2026.
- MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine. LDL: the “bad” cholesterol. Accessed 17 October 2026.
- FAO. Dietary protein quality evaluation in human nutrition: report of an FAO Expert Consultation. FAO Food and Nutrition Paper 92. Rome: FAO; 2013.
- Monteiro CA, Cannon G, Lawrence M, Costa Louzada ML, Machado PP. Ultra-processed foods, diet quality, and health using the NOVA classification system. Rome: FAO; 2019.
- Directive 2002/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to food supplements. eur-lex.europa.eu. Accessed 17 October 2026.
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/934, Annex I (authorised oenological practices). eur-lex.europa.eu; Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II. eur-lex.europa.eu. Accessed 17 October 2026.
- OIV. Resolution OIV-SECSAN 520-2014: Code of good fining practices for wine; Marangon M, Vincenzi S, Curioni A. Wine fining with plant proteins. Molecules. 2019;24(11):2186. doi:10.3390/molecules24112186; Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Application A490: exemption of isinglass from declaration. Accessed 17 October 2026.
- Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:18. doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z; Demarquoy J. Revisiting the role of carnitine in heart disease through the lens of the gut microbiota. Nutrients. 2024;16(23):4244. doi:10.3390/nu16234244; Seghieri G, Campesi I, Tonolo G, et al. Do sex and gender interact with the biological actions of taurine? Int J Mol Sci. 2025;26(16):8097. doi:10.3390/ijms26168097.
- Ghoreishi N, Kurth T, Knüppel S, Fox MP. Exposure misclassification of self-reported vegetarian diet and its impact on health outcomes. Int J Epidemiol. 2026;55(5). doi:10.1093/ije/dyag168; Haddad EH, Tanzman JS. What do vegetarians in the United States eat? Am J Clin Nutr. 2003;78(3 Suppl):626S-632S.
Editor: Anıl Güler, Pharmacist
Last scientific review: 17 October 2026