Finding animal ingredients in supposedly vegetarian food --
By beeeckie
@beeeckie (802)
United States
June 27, 2008 12:16pm CST
Is extremely upsetting!
I recently discovered that the all-purpose baking mix we were using contains beef fat and lard. For a product that I thought was vegetarian, I was very disappointed. I am very careful to read soup labels to make sure it's vegetable broth. I rarely eat soups at restaurants, because many vegetable soups contain beef or chicken stock.
Non-vegetarians may not see this stuff as a big deal, but it is. A larger example would be McDonald's frying their fries in beef fat in India, where there is a huge Hindu population. Yet all McDonald's had to do was issue a measly apology, and reluctantly changed their practice.
I am so tired of hearing "You're a veg -- so you eat chicken and fish, right?" If you eat ANY kind of dead animal flesh, you are NOT a vegetarian.
Vegetarians do not want to eat anything from dead animals. Period.
2 people like this
4 responses
@craftymom (71)
• United States
28 Jun 08
I am sorry to hear about the baking mix. I am not vegetarian, but my husband is Muslim. Therefore, we eat no pork. I know what you mean about reading labels, because so many things are unexpected, but there. Everything from refried beans to pizza to whatever. I have read more labels than I can count probably.
Anyhow, have you ever consicered making your own baking mix? I don't have the recipe for it, but have seen it on-line. Good luck:)
@craftymom (71)
• United States
28 Jun 08
Oh, a typo!! I meant to say "Have you ever considered making your own baking mix?" oops
@kenzie45230 (3560)
• United States
27 Jun 08
I sympathize with you. While I'm not a vegetarian, my son is. And his girl friend is a vegan.
I discovered last week that when food manufacturers stopped using so much MSG because people were allergic to it, many started using another food additive - disodium guanylate. And guess what! Disodium guanylate can be made from either dried fish or dried seaweed.
It's often added to instant noodles, potato chips and snacks, savoury rice, canned vegetables, and soup packets. Things that vegetarians might be purchasing.
@beeeckie (802)
• United States
27 Jun 08
I have a book listing names of animal ingredients, but they change the names very often, and they can slip under the radar. :( I should've read the package of baking mix. But it's powder! So many things have animal product in them, it's unnecessary.
@polachicago (18716)
• United States
30 Jun 08
I am with you. I make all of my food at home to make sure I have only vegetarian food.
I buy vegetables broth at Traders Joe.
I learn to read all labels to make sure what I eat.
@Seraphynth (2)
• United States
29 Jun 08
I know exactly what you're talking about.
I really hate having to read everything just because you never know where a meat product might turn up. And it usually shows up in unexpected places.
I just don't ask at restaurants (unless it's soup or something I've found in the past to have meat in it) because sometimes I just want to be able to eat in peace.
And as for the "You're a veg -- so you eat chicken and fish, right?" line, I rarely get that anymore.
Now it's just "You can't have chicken broth. There's no meat in it."
Hunny, just why do you think it's called CHICKEN broth? -facepalm-
