Vegetarians beware

[wolf63]

I have read elsewhere on the 'net that certain items of chocolate are no longer Vegetarian friendly. I am not vegetarian, but feel that this is a totally nuts decision.

The Vegetarian society have this on their site:

http://www.vegsoc.org/news/2007/mars.html

[heathfield]

Well, it's not going to do anyone any harm, and the quantities of rennet will be minimal. I see it as a state-of-mind thing. After all, milk chocolate by its very definition contains an animal product

[wolf63]

But if a person has made an ethical decision not to eat animal products they have a right to know that the products that they eat are not Vegetarian friendly any more.

I don't think all the Vegetarians are going to drop dead after a bar of chocolate though.

[lady_p_gold]

But to reply to Heathfield, if you are a vegetarian you do take notice of whether things contain rennet, i.e. cheese etc, it is not the harm it does you but the fact that you want to be able to have the choice of not eating it. In America it is very difficult as they do not seem to have much concept about animal products being in cheese etc. but at least in the UK things are clearly marked. I don't think most people are vegetarians because they fear harm. Personally the thought of eating a strawberry yoghurt which has boiled up animal bones and tendons etc. turns my stomach, and so I choose to read the label and avoid things which have it, and equally I think this decision by Mars is crazy considering there has never been a time where people are more aware of issues concerning animal products. I have e mailed them and told them that someone in their company must have Mad Cow Disease !!!

[wolf63]

I eat meat and enjoy it. I personally feel that we, as humans, are designed to eat it. But I respect the decision that Vegetarians have made and foods for sale in shops should be clearly marked.

Yet for some reason I can't eat Jelly as it should be a fruity dessert - but it has animal bits in it. It puts me off eating it.
I might have to go off yoghurt now!

But nothing can put me off chocolate! :-)

[lady_p_gold]

Well there is lots of chocolate about without 'animal bits' - as you say there are some things one cannot do without !

[Gef]

lady_p wrote, "In America it is very difficult as they do not seem to have much concept about animal products being in cheese etc. "

Are Americans so thick that they do not know that cheese and chocolate are both made from milk?

[lady_p_gold]

No perhaps I should elaborate gef, in UK all our cheese is market 'suitable for vegetarians' or not. It is not whether it is made from milk, it is vegans who don't eat any animal products i.e. milk, eggs etc. but most vegetarians do drink milk and eat eggs it is only the actual flesh or part of the animal's body they do not eat. Cheese has rennet in it which is part of an animal's stomach (or something like that) and it is this that vegetarians do not want to eat, and can easily avoid in the UK by buying cheese which has non animal rennet in it. However in America there is no such labelling and there seems to be no awareness of the fact that this animal product is in the cheese and as there is no vegetarian symbol as such, it is very hard to know if you are eating it or not.

[Gef]

Sorry lady_p, I was being a little bit facetious.

I can see both sides of the argument. Rennet and milk are "chemicals" which are extracted from cows and don't contain any flesh of the animal. On the other hand, milk comes from live cows and, I presume, rennet is extracted after the calves have been slaughtered.

However, I do wonder how many people eat chocalate, and probably many other products, not realising where some of the ingredients can come from.

[lady_p_gold]

that's fine, nice to have debate about this - it is almost impossible to avoid meat products anyway, they are in wine, capsules, etc. etc. you would spend your life reading labels if you wanted to avoid gelatine and the like!

[Gef]

Cheers lady_p, I think this would be a good one for the pub debate. Now, is beer vegatarian .............

[lady_p_gold]

not always !!

Here is a list .. yes there is one !!

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/geraint.bevan/Veg etarian_beers.html

[lady_p_gold]

Hooray they have backed down and changed their minds !!!

[wolf63]

It was a weird move for them to make anyway. There are so many vegetarians these days, they are no longer considered a minority.

I am all for people having options.