UK Not All Vegan Food 'Is'?

[Reen]

Products that are labelled 'Vegan' but when you check the ingredients you see something like
May contain milk / eggs.

I have to shop online and do so at Asda. While searching their site for vegan foods I have come across this quite
a few times. I know there are ways that some 'contamination' could occur but if the food is prepared to a 'Vegan' recipe,
how much of an issue is there with these foods ?
Currently, I'm 'bypassing' any vegan foods that have that warning, but it seems to be on quite a few things and there
is not always an 'alternative'.

As I've said before - this is my first week trying to go Vegan and at the moment I feel like I'm walking through a minefield
trying to find all the right products all at once !

 

[Emma JC]

hey Reen

Good question.

Normally that refers to the fact that the item has been made in a factory that also makes food with non-vegan products like milk and eggs. You may also see they sometimes say nuts. They have to do it for people that are allergic but it does not mean that the food isn't vegan.

There would hardly be any non-whole vegan foods to eat if you don't allow yourself to have those foods.

Enjoy!

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[Reen]

Thank you for your reply Emma, I agree it would make it a lot more difficult leaving these foods out.

I did read something in a 'review' on a product by a vegan who said they would not eat anything
that came from a manufacture who also made products using 'non' vegan foods.
I'm thinking though that those manufacturers are more likely to be able to keep prices for vegan foods
down to a reasonable cost that more people can afford because they are not 'solely dependent' on
sales of vegan foods.

The higher the prices to consumers - the fewer people who will be able to afford them.

 

[Lou]

HI.
First, welcome to the forum.
Second, congratulations for becoming vegan.

​

Now, to get back to your question. That "may contain" warning is what a lawyer would call a Cover Your *** clause. For instance if there is even a small chance of some ingredient contaminating a food they put that warning on the food. So in the unlikely chance someone dies from an allergic reaction the lawyers could say something like, didn't you see the warning.

For instance if a factory makes Hershey's Kisses and Reeses peanut butter cups there is some chance that some peanut dust might get on a Hershey's kiss. and some people are so allergic to peanuts that might kill them. So the company puts that label on the product.

For the most part vegans shouldn't and don't pay much attention to the May Contain warning. Although some ingredients list just say Contains. I use that as a short cut to reading the entire ingredients list and just put that product back on the shelf.

Hope that helps.

​

 

[silva]

When I first went vegan I had A to Z lists of items that may not be vegan, and reasons why not. I avoided all enzymes unless specified, beeswax covered fruit.... I can't even remember now! Obsessing caused me more problems than it was worth though. I'm not a vegan for my own personal purity "my body is a temple" kind of thing, but because I believed in no unnecessary harm be done.

It does make me sad when small companies get bought out by big corporations, but I try and see the larger picture.
Silk was the first big soy milk producer (at least in US), and got bought out by Danone. People were upset, but I give them a lot of credit in getting people off of dairy, and growing the non dairy milk aisles
Hopefully I'll see the day when vegan companies can flourish as vegan
Now I even see more personal care products with vegan or at least cruelty free labels. I just saw Peta endorsement on a big shampoo brand (I forget what)

 

[Kathy Lauren]

I never worry about "may contain traces" warnings. They have to put that on the label if the same equipment was used to process vegan and non-vegan food, regardless of how well the equipment was cleaned. I assume that the company cleans the equipment, so the amount of contaminant that the product "may contain" is as close to zero as they can make it. The warning is there to avoid lawsuits from people that insist that the level must be certifiably exactly zero. This mostly affect religious dietary rules.

 

[Lou]

Yeah. I find the OC behavior of the personal purity vegans off-putting.
I like my own concept of what is practical.
the main goal is to avoid harming animals.

 

[Reen]

First - Thank you @Lou for your welcome and congrats, though I'm not fully vegan yet - I am confident in my ability to
become so.

Many thanks to all of you who replied, I feel easier in my mind now. I fortunately, do not have to worry about 'traces of
non vegan foods on health grounds, (though I do feel for those who this applies to). I had wondered though about the
comment of that person who said they wouldn't buy from companies who also dealt in non vegan foods - on the grounds
that she would be promoting them if she did. Perhaps she also was worried about 'contamination. I had wondered though
whether the comment was just ''personal' opinion or indicated a wider Vegan standard.

My own opinion is that not everyone can go vegan either for financial, health or other reasons, but they have to eat something !
I check the ingredients on all the food and as long as they are made to vegan recipe I will buy regardless of whether or not the
company also produces non vegan. Before I gave up meat many years ago - I had also eaten it for many more years previously,
so I don't feel I should be critical about those who still do - and who knows how many of them will eventually make the change
to vegetarian or even vegan at some point in the future.

Thank you again everyone for your input - Wow I just found a ton more emoticons !

 

[Rory17]

Products that are labelled 'Vegan' but when you check the ingredients you see something like
May contain milk / eggs.

I have to shop online and do so at Asda. While searching their site for vegan foods I have come across this quite
a few times. I know there are ways that some 'contamination' could occur but if the food is prepared to a 'Vegan' recipe,
how much of an issue is there with these foods ?
Currently, I'm 'bypassing' any vegan foods that have that warning, but it seems to be on quite a few things and there
is not always an 'alternative'.

As I've said before - this is my first week trying to go Vegan and at the moment I feel like I'm walking through a minefield
trying to find all the right products all at once !

I am vegan. Along with Joey Carbstrong (the Australian vegan activist dude on YouTube), I think that it’s okay to eat things that say “May contain dairy (etc)”. If it is otherwise vegan, if it is made to a vegan recipe, it’s fine. They put that on there to warn people with allergies, to cover their a***s in case of people trying to sue them, etc.

 

[Col]

I understand that contamination does occur in cooking but I feel it is important to respect that this is not ideal. Is it really 'OC' to not expect 'Vegan' food to have a contradictory message on the back?

 

[silva]

I understand that contamination does occur in cooking but I feel it is important to respect that this is not ideal. Is it really 'OC' to not expect 'Vegan' food to have a contradictory message on the back?

Food that is prepared on grills, on in oil, that is concurrently used for meat, is quite a different issue. The question posed was about packaged food that lists "may contain" because they use the same equipment is a disclaimer for those with allergies. The equipment is cleaned between uses

I have had fries where I could taste the fish
I am speaking from the US, BTW

 

[Lou]

I did read something in a 'review' on a product by a vegan who said they would not eat anything
that came from a manufacture who also made products using 'non' vegan foods.

I think in that case you might have an impossible standard.
The soy milk I buy is in the same store, even the same refrigerator that dairy milk is in. They probably arrived on the same truck. and they may have even been botled at the same plant. And the companies are probably owned by the same mega corporation.

Although you can find manufactures that only make plant based products. And you might even find stores that sell only plant based products but that is going to be very limiting.

 

[Col]

I have attached the kind of disclaimer in question, on some ready made pizza dough.

I admit I bought this and ate some last Tuesday, I had not read this first but now I am also considering the issues again, though they may appear small.

It could be said that I am guilty of laziness and in fact it is better and also cheaper to quite simply make one's own dough and not just buy this and complain, which is what I plan to try next time.

The wording does not seem to really make sense though, to my (perhaps OCD) logic:

 

[silva]

I have attached the kind of disclaimer in question, on some ready made pizza dough.

I admit I bought this and ate some last Tuesday, I had not read this first but now I am also considering the issues again, though they may appear small.

It could be said that I am guilty of laziness and in fact it is better and also cheaper to quite simply make one's own dough and not just buy this and complain, which is what I plan to try next time.

The wording does not seem to really make sense though, to my (perhaps OCD) logic:

View attachment 28573

It's what we've been saying--if a factory makes vegan products and dairy or egg (or whatever else that could be allergan) they legally have to put that disclaimer on everything they produce. Even if they aren't made on shared equipment, which would be cleaned between products, the fact that milk, egg, gluten, nut...allergans can be deadly means they can't ignore the fact their is always that chance

Nothing wrong with wanting a quick fix!

 

[Lou]

Agree... but...

they legally have to put that disclaimer on everything they produce.

Not so sure they "legally have to..."
I think its just something their lawyers tell then to do - just in case.
Although I think I remember from my Business Law class, that disclaimer isn't worth much.

Still as we have said before - unless you are severely allergic - not to worry.

 

[Kathy Lauren]

I have attached the kind of disclaimer in question, on some ready made pizza dough.

I admit I bought this and ate some last Tuesday, I had not read this first but now I am also considering the issues again, though they may appear small.

It could be said that I am guilty of laziness and in fact it is better and also cheaper to quite simply make one's own dough and not just buy this and complain, which is what I plan to try next time.

The wording does not seem to really make sense though, to my (perhaps OCD) logic:

View attachment 28573

The equipment on which the vegan product is made is also used (during other prodution runs) for products containing dairy and eggs. Naturally, they clean the equipment thoroughly between runs, so no appreciable quantity of contamination remains. But for liability reasons in allergy cases, the lawyers want to be able to certify that the equipment contains exactly zero contamination: not a single molecule. No one can certify that impossible standard of cleanliness, therefore the disclaimer.

 

[g0rph]

Food that is prepared on grills, on in oil, that is concurrently used for meat, is quite a different issue. The question posed was about packaged food that lists "may contain" because they use the same equipment is a disclaimer for those with allergies. The equipment is cleaned between uses

I have had fries where I could taste the fish
I am speaking from the US, BTW

Honestly, that is still vegan too by my standards. I understand if people don't like it, but as long as I am not purchasing animal products, I am fine.

I have to attend family get-togethers, and they usually involve a BBQ, so I will grill mushrooms, vegan burgers...etc, and I have little choice but to use the same grill as meat is done on.

The way I see it...It won't kill me, and I am not contributing personally to any suffering... I do tend to brush a little oil over the area first though...

 

[silva]

Honestly, that is still vegan too by my standards. I understand if people don't like it, but as long as I am not purchasing animal products, I am fine.

I have to attend family get-togethers, and they usually involve a BBQ, so I will grill mushrooms, vegan burgers...etc, and I have little choice but to use the same grill as meat is done on.

The way I see it...It won't kill me, and I am not contributing personally to any suffering... I do tend to brush a little oil over the area first though...

Oh yes, I didn't mean to indicate it wasn't vegan, I really hate personal purity. Everyone has their own lines they dont' cross, so it's really just up to the individual. I'm particularly sensitive to meat tastes in things- esp fish- so I have learned to avoid shared oil. Grills get hot enough to burn off tastes I think

Like even when foods are purchased and I discover it has gelatin or honey, I'll still eat it. Carmine though--that's my line I don't cross. It just p'sses me off that bad. Using insects for color, and adding it to sweets that are perfectly fine, and vegan, without.

 

[g0rph]

Oh yes, I didn't mean to indicate it wasn't vegan, I really hate personal purity. Everyone has their own lines they dont' cross, so it's really just up to the individual. I'm particularly sensitive to meat tastes in things- esp fish- so I have learned to avoid shared oil. Grills get hot enough to burn off tastes I think

Like even when foods are purchased and I discover it has gelatin or honey, I'll still eat it. Carmine though--that's my line I don't cross. It just p'sses me off that bad. Using insects for color, and adding it to sweets that are perfectly fine, and vegan, without.

I must say, being the only vegan in a family of 4, I wouldn't knowingly consume gelatin or honey, as someone else will.
I might differ if I was single, although I'd probably try to give it away first, especially the ground-up bones.
I see honey as a slightly grey area even if I don't use it anymore.

Where I probably stray is I still use old leather belts, motorbike boots/gloves and a wool jumper. I won't buy more, but replacing is extremely expensive, so I'll wear them out first for sure.