Health News

Juices and bread with animal ingredients

Where it says vegetarian is animal in it

08/01/2012

According to Foodwatch, many foods contain hidden animal ingredients. From multivitamin juice to bread, animal ingredients are found in a variety of foods and beverages.

Due to a legal loophole, even as „vegetarian“ or „vegan“ labeled foods contain animal ingredients, according to Foodwatch. Here, according to the consumer protection organization, the legislator is required to allow consumers to waive certain or all animal ingredients. If animal products are contained in juices, chips or bread, this should be clearly visible on the packaging, according to Foodwatch.

Animal ingredients of foods often undeclared
As the consumer protection organization reported in a recent release betrayed „the information on the pack is far from everything“ about the food. In many foods, according to Foodwatch hide animal ingredients or animal products, which are difficult to discover by the consumer. „Without them remembering, the consumers are gelatine or milk sugar underlined - the animal additives do not have to be declared“, so the message from Foodwatch. Oliver Huizinga, Foodwatch expert on label fraud, said that „the legislator makes it almost impossible for consumers to avoid animal products in food.“ Consumers do not have the option to eat vegetarian or vegan foods, to refrain from using pig products for religious reasons, or simply to avoid certain forms of animal husbandry through conscious purchasing decisions, according to Foodwatch.

Gelatin in multivitamin juice and cream cheese
The legal loopholes severely limit consumer choice „Animal constituents without obligation to declare as carriers of flavorings and vitamins in food“ can reach, reports Foodwatch. For example, the manufacturer of the multivitamin juices valensina and high C (Eckes Granini) has confirmed to the organization that gelatin is used as a carrier of added vitamins „Milrams Spring Quark, cream cheese from Bresso and Little Red Riding Hood contain gelatin as a thickener“, so continue Foodwatch. These are „Examples in which the manufacturers have deviated from classical recipes and probably many consumers should not suspect animal components.“ In the case of cheese, the contained animal components are still based on the list of ingredients in the „small print“ read. In the case of the multivitamin juices, however, a corresponding labeling is missing completely, because the law does not prescribe this, so the criticism of Foodwatch.

Chips with animal flavors
The chip maker funny-fresh, according to the research by Foodwatch, has used animal components as carriers of the flavors in large parts of its range. These are depending on the potato chip variety fish, poultry, beef, pork, game or rennet, reports the organization. For vegans who want to completely abstain from animal foods, also often arise problems caused by the so-called cross-contamination. These arise when the machines of a production line process foods with animal ingredients as well as vegan foods. For example, so traces of milk components in a chocolate factory can get into products whose recipe is actually vegan. According to Foodwatch Ritter Sport has measured such impurities in the (non-dairy) varieties of bitter and marzipan itself and found a lactose content of 0.3 to 0.4 grams per plate. Nevertheless, the chocolate in the company blog of Ritter Sport until recently the „Dear friends of vegan chocolate“ recommended, containing the statement „no milk components.“ In the fruit gums of Katjes from the current "Veggie“-The company's campaign is expected to be cross-contaminated with gelatin, continues Foodwatch. However, Katjes did not respond to a request from the organization.

Animal constituents in technical auxiliaries of food production
In addition to the already mentioned ways in which animal components enter the food, there is also the possibility of contamination by technical auxiliaries. For example, be known, „that predominantly industrial bakeries use L-cysteine as a flour treatment agent“, explained Foodwatch. This substance used to influence the consistency and processing properties of the dough is obtained, among other things, from pig bristles or feathers. Again, the consumer looks for a corresponding label on the packaging, but in vain. Oliver Huizinga stressed that the current policy „An impertinence for vegetarians and vegans, but also for all other consumers (s) who make conscious choices in the purchase of animal food, reduce consumption or support only certain forms of animal husbandry“ want. All revealed cases of hidden animal components are only due „gaps in the law are possible - gaps that Federal Consumer Minister Ilse Aigner should urgently conclude in order to make genuine freedom of choice possible when making purchases“, so the position of Foodwatch.

terms „vegan“ and „vegetarian“ food law protect
Foodwatch demanded clear legal requirements for mandatory labeling of ingredients or processing aids of animal origin from the Federal Consumer Minister Ilse Aigner (CSU). In addition, according to the experts, the terms should „vegan“ and „vegetarian“ legally determined and protected. Just because this is not the case so far, these products can still contain animal ingredients today. In the future, manufacturers of food and vegan products would also have to be obliged under food law to ensure that cross-contamination is excluded. (Fp)