Here at Leafy Souls, one of our goals is to guide users in their search for the best vegan products to support their plant-based lifestyle. There are so many products that claim to be vegan, but do not meet the rigorous standard of being vegan.
We understand that our visitors have busy lives, and that hunting for vegan-friendly options can be a daunting experience, taking up countless hours of time and research.
Therefore, we’ve created a stringent review process to offer you honest reviews without bias.
In the event scientific claims are made, references will be made for each critical statement to provide factual information within our guides. You can find these notated and referenced at the bottom of each guide.
Additionally, our medical review staff fact checks and reviews our articles before publishing to ensure accuracy and integrity of the information we provide.
Below is a breakdown of our process to ensure each product has a fair evaluation.
Our Process
Here is everything we consider when featuring a product claiming to be vegan, or sustainable.
We Test All Products Anonymously
While we sometimes do receive free products for the sake of review, our team members reviewing the products are not made aware of any arrangements with these brands. Instead, our team members choose a product that interests them from a collection of anonymously ordered products and gifted products.
We Sample from Multiple Reviewers for Content
Our standardized process ensures vegans at all stages of their journey can relate to a product.
For example, a long-term vegan may love the taste or texture of a meal-replacement bar, but someone who is new to veganism, or has not yet fully embraced a 100% plant-based lifestyle might not feel the same way. We take into account the opinions of those who are raw vegan, vegan, vegetarian, and those who have not yet made the switch.
Why do we work with groups of people who are not 100% vegan?
- A larger control group provides more honest answers
- We aim to grow the community, meaning our target audience includes all humans, vegan and non-vegan alike.
- A vegan’s tastes and palette will differ significantly from someone who consumes meat
Our Testing Model
We aim to provide honest feedback and reviews of products, so we stick to a strict standardization process consisting of the following 5-leaf scale:
- 5 Leaves: Best in Class
- 4 Leaves: A Great Option
- 3 Leaves: It meets most of our standards
- 2 Leaves: Does not meet our standards
- 1 Leaf: We do not recommend
We also provide the Editor’s Choice, which may or may not include a 5-leaf rating.
Our Criteria
Using the 5-leaf scale above we’ll grade each product on our three main criteria for determining a product’s vegan-friendliness. How closely does the product align with our mission to help others:
- Vegan Heart – Learn to embrace freedom for all living creatures.
- Vegan Body – Develop a strong and healthy plant-supported body.
- Vegan Mind – Develop a strong mindset geared at moving the world to a plant-based lifestyle by example.
Regulatory Guidelines
Some products, especially those we consume, are subject to rules regulating their safety. However, not every product will meet this approval. We will indicate where necessary, any disclaimers and warnings. This criteria considers the opinions and findings from the following institutions:
