TurtleTree announces vegan certification of its precision fermented lactoferrin

CEO and co-founder, Fengru Lin, drinks plant-based milk with LF+. Image courtesy of TurtleTree.

TurtleTree (Woodland, CA) has received vegan certification from Vegan Action for its animal-free lactoferrin, LF+, making it the first precision fermented dairy ingredient to earn vegan certification. The company explains in a press release that vegan certification may be difficult to earn for animal-free dairy products because of their bioidentical nature to the animal-based counterparts, and the use of animal studies companies sometimes used by brands to verify safety and achieve regulatory approval. The certification by Vegan Action guarantees that LF+ is free of animal products, by products, and has not been tested on animals.

"With this certification, we are putting words into action and allowing that action to be validated by a third party,” said Fengru Lin, CEO and co-founder of TurtleTree, in a press release. “We want to build a food system that is sustainable and enables animals to live happier and healthier lives. As conscious consumers increasingly prioritize ethical choices, we aim to provide food and beverage brands with the unwavering confidence that our products align seamlessly with those evolving values.”

"We were thrilled to get TurtleTree’s product Vegan Certified because of the clear benchmark this sets for the rest of the industry,” added Krissi Vandenberg, director of Vegan Action. “TurtleTree's dedication to ethical practices and transparency is commendable and will undoubtedly inspire other precision fermentation companies. This certification demonstrates the tangible steps companies can take to validate and communicate their values to customers, underlining a collective commitment to ethical standards."