Vegetarians face an ethical dilemma

[Amelia]

Vegetarians face an ethical dilemma after makers add animal derivatives to chocolate

By Amy Iggulden

14/05/2007

The Telegraph

Vegetarians who have learned to live without roast beef dinners and bacon sandwiches were yesterday forced to make another major sacrifice: chocolate.

It came after the makers of Britain's most popular chocolate bars, including Mars, Snickers, Maltesers and Milky Ways, admitted that they now contain an ingredient derived from a cow's stomach.

The admission by Masterfoods presents the country's three million vegetarians with an ethical dilemma over whether to consume more than 20 best-selling products.

They include Bounty, Minstrels, Celebrations chocolates, Mars ice cream, Tracker nut bars and the children's favourite Magic Stars.

This month, Masterfoods began using animal rennet to produce the whey needed for its products, rather than a vegetarian alternative. Rennet is extracted from the stomach-lining of slaughtered newborn calves, and is used in traditional cheese production in central Europe. In Britain a microbial alternative made from mould is used.

Liz O'Neill, a spokesman for The Vegetarian Society, said it was disappointed at Masterfoods' "backward step". "This decision rules out an enormous number of the real favourite chocolate bars, the ones that are very widely available. It is limiting choice." The society's website also urges members to write to Masterfoods to complain about the use of animal-derived whey.

Paul Goalby, the corporate affairs manager at Masterfoods, told the Mail on Sunday: "Since changing the sourcing of our ingredients we are no longer able to ensure our chocolate will be animal rennet-free. So we made the principled decision to admit it was not guaranteed to be vegetarian. If the customer is an extremely strict vegetarian, then we are sorry the products are no longer suitable."

[olger]

1) Caffiene

2) Sugar

3) Stomach stuff

I'm convinced..

[Dr. Shane]

Quote:

Rennet is extracted from the stomach-lining of slaughtered newborn calves, and is used in traditional cheese production in central Europe.

I think Adventists were already wise to this. But there comes a point when we are straining our water for gnats. The sugar in chocolate is more harmful than any little bit of rennet.

[Denise]

Uggg! I am glad I don't eat chocolate anymore, and am happy my diet is alot healthier now. We are doing a vegan cooking school soon, so this information is very interesting and useful to mention in our cooking class.

[bevin]

Exactly right, Shane

/Bevin

ps: Anyone who has seen sugar cane being grown and harvested knows that its production kills millions of animals, and that the end product may well have a few impurities - although not as many as chocolate :-)

[Clio]

So much for chocolate. *sigh*

[olger]

Uggg! I am glad I don't eat chocolate anymore, and am happy my diet is alot healthier now. We are doing a vegan cooking school soon, so this information is very interesting and useful to mention in our cooking class.

That sounds great, Denise! We had a CHIP program at our church last fall and Nancy & I participated. It was fabulous.

Our cholesterol went down almost 50-points each, and between us we lost 17-lbs.

The grass roots need more grass,

og

[Liz]

Oh ick, I think I am just going to pretend that I didn't read this.

Liz, is going off to bury her head in the sand.

[Denise]

That's great Olger! So happy to hear that! And I know that Nancy and you feel so much better! As for me, since this diet change, I feel so much better. I didn't have any problem with my cholesterol or anything, but I was impressed to make a change in my diet with all these health seminars we were having! LOL And now it's my turn to help someone else out who would like to make a change in their lives in eating healthier.

[Amelia]

Quote:

I think Adventists were already wise to this

Maybe, but I didn't know that chocolate had rennet in it.

[Dr. Shane]

I was referring to rennet being in cheese. Many Adventists only buy kosher cheese so they know it doesn't have rennent.

[Amelia]

I was referring to rennet being in cheese. Many Adventists only buy kosher cheese so they know it doesn't have rennent.

Better watch out when you buy kosher. It doesn't always mean "meat free" or "animal by-product" free. Kosher cheese can have meat based rennet in it. See this explanation:

http://www.kashrut.com/articles/cheese/

[CyberGuy]

I remember when a I was told that McDonalds fries were fried in Lard 20 years ago. Why did you have to tell me that I told him. Now I cannot eat them anymore. :

Oh for those McDonalds fries lovers. They use Vegetable oils now I am told.

[Dr. Shane]

I was working at Burger King and Hardees 20 years ago and they were using vegetable shortening then. BUT (this is a super big "but') - - - Ok, Ok... let's say it all together now.

Can we say...

TRANS FAT

No lard but lots of trans fat. If it were vegetable oil and not vegetable shortening it would be much better for us. Better to eat the salad and forget the french fries.

[ChildofChrist]

I am a chocolate-holic! :duno I was totally off of it for several years....and I survived!!

Of course in the recent months, I've fallen off the wagon. So, guess it is back to the Carob and Roma mix for my fix. (You can do this one on your own.)

[Dottie]

The article was about "British" makers of Mars, etc.

M&M/Mars has a plant in North Jersey that produces many of their products for the U.S.A. Has anyone bothered to find out if the chocolate candies made by that company in the U.S.A. have rennet in them?

What about hand lotions, etc., that have lanolin in them?

Also, when I was a child, my mom used to put rennet in the ice cream that she made. It made it smoother, and better consistency.

I wasn't a vegetarian then, so it didn't bother me. By the way, does anyone take medicines or supplements that are in gelatin capsules? Are we straining at gnats (literally) and swallowing camels (figuratively)?

[Amelia]

I would hope that Adventists wouldn't be this picky but many Jews and Muslims are. When I was volunteering at our zoo, one muslim family came into the gift shop and browsed. They asked me if we carried anything of a "clean" nature. They would not purchase gifts that portrayed unclean animals. Honestly that had me wracking my brain for a moment.

[Jerry Rogers]

I have to second Dottie's comments - this change is *CURRENTLY* in the UK chocolates made by MasterFoods UK. I suspect (???) that outside the UK the chocolate will still be made by the same methods. So, chocolate lovers in the UK - think IMPORTED Chocolate!!! :-) (or at least chocolate by makers other than MasterFoods. I assume you have Hershey, Nestle, Godiva and other makers of chocolate candies there, too, don't you?)

[Amelia]

Mars bars get veggie status back

Sunday, 20 May 2007

BBC News

Mars has abandoned plans to use animal products in its chocolate, and has apologised to "upset" vegetarians.

The firm had said it would change the whey used in some of its products from a vegetarian source to one with traces of the animal enzyme, rennet.

The Vegetarian Society organised a campaign against the move, asking members to voice their concerns to parent company Masterfoods.

Mars said it became "very clear, very quickly" that it had made a mistake.

In just one week, more than 6,000 people bombarded the company, which produces the Mars, Snickers, Maltesers and Galaxy brands, with phone and e-mail complaints.

Forty MPs also signed a petition to voice their opposition.

Fiona Dawson, managing director of Mars UK, said the company had listened to customers and decided to reverse its decision.

"The consumer is our boss and we had lots of feedback from consumers who were unhappy about the change," Ms Dawson said.

"It became very clear, very quickly that we had made a mistake, for which I am sorry.

"There are three million vegetarians in the UK and not only did we disappoint them, but we upset a lot of the consumers."

'Principled decision'

The Vegetarian Society had called the move by Mars "incomprehensible" and "a backward step" at a time when consumers were increasingly concerned about "the provenance of their food".

Mars replied that, by admitting its products were no longer suitable for "extremely strict vegetarians", it was making a "principled decision".

Now it insists it will begin changing its recipes back immediately.

Dr Annette Pinner, chief executive of the Vegetarian Society, said she was pleased Mars had been "honest enough" to admit it had "made a mistake".

"A Masterfoods representative has made contact with us and we are very pleased that they now recognise the importance of integrity to all their customers, especially vegetarians," she added.

Rennet is extracted from calves' stomachs and was to have been used in the ice cream versions of all Masterfoods' bars too.

[Denise]

Wow! They changed their mind very quickly.....

[nuff sed]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[Bravus]

True, but that's the cynical take (none the less true, of course). the more positive thing to take away is that we have power to cause change, if we care enough.

[olger]

An even more positive aspect is the ability to say "no" to such things.

It's the most difficult word in the English language.

[Amelia]

Masterfoods and the vegetarianisation of food

21 May, 2007

Food Quality News

Masterfoods' U-turn over its plan to reformulate its famous confectionery brands using animal-derived whey sets a precedent that will prevent any other food manufacturer from flying in the face of the global trend towards the vegetarianisation of our food.

A vicious battle raged in the UK last week between Masterfoods and a small, but vocal, army of vegetarians when the maker of Mars, Maltesers, Snickers and Galaxy bars decided to use rennet, animal-derived whey (taken from calves' stomachs), instead of the more costly vegetarian whey.

The decision, based on the desire to shave a few digits off the company's costs, sparked huge debate played out in columns of mainstream newspapers.

Faced with a reported 6,000 letters from furious chocoholics, Mars regretted its misjudgement and yesterday executed an impressive about-face. The company issued a lengthy apology to its customers and vowed to keep its products meat-free.

But why the furore in the first place? Surely a manufacturer is entitled to tweak the odd recipe?

Well yes. If it wants to alienate a slice of its consumer base, then on its own bottom-line be it. But one gets the feeling that Masterfoods did not factor in the 3m UK vegetarians who would no longer spend their pocket money on its wares.

And in the light of the embarrassing conclusion to the affair, other food manufacturers - not just in the UK, but in the rest of Europe and the US - are highly unlikely to try the same tactic.

For a start, it was problematic that Masterfoods' decision was financially motivated. In general large companies still struggle with the image as megalithic money-bags, and consumers are unlikely to swallow the idea that they are being fed something they do not want simply to line their pockets.

It might have been a different story had Masterfoods' reformulation been based on maintaining or improving the taste of the product.

In 2005 Cadbury Trebor Bassett resisted pressure from The Vegetarian Society to reformulate Jelly Babies using vegetarian gelatine. The company said it had investigated gelatine alternatives and was unable to replicate the texture.

It was able to stick to its guns because it is more acceptable for a company to refuse to reformulate using vegetarian ingredients than it is for them take away a vegetarian treat-food.

Secondly, how on earth would a company communicate its intention to take a product from vegetarian to non-vegetarian?

As Masterfoods discovered, decisions like these have to be handled with the utmost delicacy so as not to blow up into a public relations disaster that will have long-lasting effects on the brand.

It could not exactly have come out with an advertising campaign featuring cute little calves being slaughtered. But anything short of full disclosure results in criticism of acting in an underhand way and trying to dupe the consumer.

Masterfoods' approach was something between the two. It did not keep completely schtum but sent discreet letters to retailers informing them of the reformulation. However the content of these letter has not been made public, and it was only when The Vegetarian Society was informed about them that the campaign kicked off.

So are we heading for a future where the only products that are not suitable for vegetarians are those that contain meat in its familiar form, pictured on the packaging and included in the product name?

Probably not. There are still some ingredients, particularly those with nutritional properties, that cannot be sourced from plant matter. What is more, most vegetarians are aware there are certain foods they should avoid - like jelly sweets, for instance. If they are unsure, it is to them to look at the ingredients list.

But there is no denying that there is a general shift towards making foods suitable for more consumer groups - not only vegetarians but also people who adhere to kosher or halal diets, or allergy sufferers.

On the ingredients side of the industry, considerable R&D is devoted to coming up with vegetarian alternatives to animal ingredients. For instance, both BASF and DSM have vitamin and nutrient ranges that are suitable for a broad range of diet preferences.

Last year Dutch potato starch group Avebe created a new subsidiary called Solanic, offering vegetable proteins said to overcome functional barriers that have led some companies to plump for animal proteins in the past.

The sense behind such strategies increases with every animal-related food scare. Even those who aren't strictly speaking vegetarian are more and more sensitive about the source of the food they eat.

At the finished product end, the vegetarian lobby is a powerful one.

The Vegetarian Society has collaborated with the UK's Food Standards Agency on a set of guidelines for vegetarian and vegan products, which were released last April. These guidelines are not legally enforceable, but are designed to improve labelling by providing criteria, help manufacturers avoid common mistakes, and help enforcement agencies identify misleading labels that contravene the 1990 Food Safety Act or the 1968 Trade Descriptions Act.

Ideally The Vegetarian Society would like to see a set of legal definitions governing what foods can be construed as vegetarian and what not.

It is not there yet, but one day it might be - and then the situation will become clearer, both for vegetarians and for companies who cater to them and every other dietary peccadillo out there. In the meantime, unless they relish the thought of vegetarians baying for their blood, companies are advised to leave vegetarians' treat foods well alone.

Jess Halliday is editor of FoodNavigator.com and the former editor of NutraIngredients.com. Over the past decade she has worked in print, broadcast and online media in both Europe and the United States.

This article was co-authored by Catherine Boal, editor of ConfectioneryNews.com and a vegetarian.