Vegetarian and non-vegetarian marks
and toothpaste products sold in India are required to be labelled with a mandatory mark in order to be distinguished between lacto-vegetarian and non-lacto-vegetarian. The symbol is in effect following the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006, and got a mandatory status after the framing of the respective regulations in 2011. According to the law, vegetarian food should be identified by a green symbol and non-vegetarian food with a brown symbol.
Restaurants use voluntary Vegan Friendly mark to denote availability of vegan options. Packaged food manufacturers also use a variation of Vegan Friendly mark for their vegan offerings.
The fact that the symbols are identical in shape mean that a person with color blindness may not be able to distinguish them. It is recommended by some, to use a different shape in place of the brown dot.
