A quarter of vegetarians and vegans have accidentally eaten meat due to unclear food labelling, the Telegraph can reveal.

New research by Opinium for Ubamarket reveals that 40% of the nation don’t understand what they eat and 30% struggle to manage their diet as a result.

Among the findings, the survey showed that 32% of people were not aware that pesto is not vegetarian and an overwhelming 81% also thought that soy sauce was gluten free.

The confusion is the result of poor labelling.

It calls overall food safety into question as 52% of respondents agreed that the complex nature of UK labels makes it difficult for people with dietary requirements to make informed decisions about their food.

This includes those following vegetarian, vegan, dairy free and gluten free diets.

Hazel Gowland, expert in food risks and founder of Allergy Action found this particularly disturbing. She said: “By law, consumers buying food must not be misled. People selling food have to ensure it is safe this includes the obligation to present and provide accurate information about it.

"Information which is inaccurate, incomplete or poorly communicated is a real safety risk to those with food allergies, intolerances and coeliac disease."