An Overview of The Vegetarian Society
The Vegetarian Society is a UK charity, founded in 1847, that promotes vegetarian living through education, advocacy and consumer awareness. It also runs an accreditation scheme that lets food manufacturers and brands prove their products meet recognised vegetarian, vegan and plant-based standards.
As shoppers paid closer attention to ethical choices and clear food labelling, more businesses wanted that trusted mark on their packaging. Accreditation requests were growing, and the existing process meant a lot of manual handling of applications, ingredient reviews and client emails.
So The Vegetarian Society needed a smarter setup. Applicants should be able to submit products and follow their progress on their own. Staff, meanwhile, needed somewhere to review and approve work without chasing information.
How we helped
Coding Sprint planned and built an MVP accreditation platform around how The Vegetarian Society actually reviews and certifies products. The aim was simple: take repetitive admin off the team’s plate, give applicants a smoother experience, and leave room for automation and AI-assisted features later.
Developed a Custom Accreditation Platform
The previous process depended on manual steps at almost every stage. We took it out and replaced it with a custom web application that integrates product submissions, ingredient data, and approval workflows into a single system built specifically for accreditation.
Designed Client and Admin Experiences
Businesses applying for accreditation get their own portal for adding products, managing ingredients, and checking progress. Internal reviewers work from a dedicated admin dashboard, so each group only sees the tools they need.
Automated Key Accreditation Steps
Status updates now go out as automatic email notifications, and CSV bulk import tools let large product and ingredient lists be uploaded in one go. This cuts down on chasing, re-keying, and repetitive admin work.
Technologies implemented
The platform runs on a modern, scalable stack chosen for performance and long-term flexibility. A fast and responsive front end powered by React.js with secure back-end logic powered by Laravel. MySQL for product, ingredient, and accreditation information. As the platform is API-first, it is ready for future integrations like Microsoft Dynamics and practical AI-driven automation.
Project features at a glance
What The Vegetarian Society really needed was a single connected system, one that links what applicants submit with what reviewers do internally, backed by a central ingredient database and ready for other tools to plug in later. We focused on getting a reliable MVP live first, with growth built into the plan.
Self-service product submission portal
Central ingredient database with accreditation logic
Admin dashboard for reviews, approvals, and workload
CSV bulk import for products and ingredients
Automated email notifications for status updates
Microsoft Dynamics CRM integration pathway
Our Approach
We didn’t start with code. We started by learning how accreditation actually runs at The Vegetarian Society: how applications come in, how ingredients get checked, and where things tend to get stuck. That discovery and consultancy work shaped the MVP, and it also gave us a sensible roadmap for phase two.
Need
Too much of the work was being done manually, and it was slowing everyone down. Businesses wanted an easy way to send in their products, add ingredients, and check how their application was going, without having to email and wait for a reply. The team at the charity also needed one place where they could see every review and know what was still pending.
Solution
We built a custom accreditation platform for The Vegetarian Society using React.js, Laravel, and MySQL. Businesses get their own portal to add products, either one at a time or in bulk with a CSV file. The internal team gets a separate dashboard to review and approve them. Automatic emails let applicants know when their status changes, so nobody has to chase for updates. The platform is also set up to connect with other tools later, like a CRM or AI-assisted checks, whenever the organisation is ready.
Outcome
The Vegetarian Society now runs its accreditation from one central platform instead of doing most of it manually. Applications move through faster, and businesses get clearer updates along the way. The team can see what’s being reviewed and what’s still waiting, all in one place. And with a solid base in place, the platform can grow as their needs change.
Got a slow, manual process holding your team back?
We can turn it into a simple platform your team and customers will actually enjoy using. Tell us how things work today, and we’ll help you build something faster, cleaner, and ready to grow.
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