Wednesday 30 March 2011

5 surprising things that are not vegan

Cows, the most used & abused animal on the planet.


1. Condoms. The majority of condoms contain casein, which is a protein from animal milk. Vegan friendly ones exist that use cocoa powder instead. Brands include Glyde, Fusion and  Condomi.

 2. Candles. Some candles use cochineal as a colorant. Cochineal is not vegan or vegetarian friendly and is the equivalent of having meat in your candles.



3. Margarines, butters and spreads. Most contain milk, but there are vegan alternatives available.

4. Vegetable soup/broth. Not all vegetable soup is suitable for vegetarians never mind vegans. Some soups like Campbell's in the UK are made with beef broth. Always check the label and assume nothing. As Dwight says in The Office (US), assume makes an ass out of you and me.



5.Crisps, or potato chips as they are called in America. Quite often they have milk added, especially in the store's own versions. Cheese flavoring may be made with animal rennet and meat flavours like beef and bacon may use animal flavourings.

Note - Chips/fries can also be made in animal fat.

For advice on whether things are vegan, why not check out http://www.isitvegan.com/?


 

4 comments:

  1. Four Season's condoms are vegan and widely available in Australia. Here's what they said in response to my enquiry: "A lot of the milk derivative products have long been out of the process for us, so our condoms are completely vegan friendly"

    I also wrote to Ansell and Durex (common brands in Australia) and never received a response (I'm guessing then they do use milk).

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Michael, that's very informative. I do know that Durex use milk. Maybe it's why people often have irritation after using their condoms.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I suspect that is more to do with the latex? I have read that it can cause irritation for some people. I understand that there are some latex-free condoms available, but it's not something I've looked into.

    ReplyDelete
  4. there's one solution: cook your own food. By grabbing 5 lb of potatoes in the produce isle instead of a 2 lb one in the frozen meals section, you'll not only save money and eat better but also control what exactly it is you are eating.

    ReplyDelete