Finding a yoghurt without any meat in it can be murder
THE Food Standards Agency is attempting to broker an agreement with supermarkets and manufacturers over new rules for the labelling of vegetarian and vegan foods.
At present there is no definition of foods that are “suitable for vegetarians”. The only requirement, a provision in the Food Safety Act 1990 and the Trade Descriptions Act 1968, is that labels should not be misleading. This anomaly is of concern to vegetarians, vegans and religious groups such as the Hindu and Jewish communities, because many foods that are labelled suitable for vegetarians are not acceptable to them.
The issue also affects those consumers who have an intolerance of dairy products. Often products are labelled “non-dairy” even if they have been made with milk proteins such as casein.
There are four million vegetarians in Britain and the market is worth £582 million a year. But it may be difficult, if not impossible, to agree a single definition because vegetarianism means different things to different people. Many people say that they are vegetarian, yet eat fish, strictly taboo under the rules set by the Vegetarian Society. Others will not eat fish but do eat eggs.
Often a product may not contain an animal ingredient, yet its formation depends on an industrial process that uses animal or fish extracts. Many yoghurts and ice-cream, for example, contain animal gelatine, which is produced by boiling the skin, bones, fats and tissue of cattle and pigs. This can even be used to remove sediments in fruit juices. Yet this information is rarely provided on labels.
Some companies use an alternative, microbial gelatine that is acceptable to vegetarians.
When there are blatant breaches in the labelling rules, trading standards officers will investigate, but often legal action is stymied precisely because there is no formally agreed definition of vegetarian.
The Food Standards Agency is trying to draw up new guidance for supermarkets and the food industry, but any legal definition will be a matter for the European Commission, something that could take years to agree. The watchdog hopes that a solution will be reached in Britain within a year.
The British Retail Consortium is happy for a definition that excludes obvious products such as meat or poultry from vegetarian foods, but is concerned that over-strict rules would involve too much red tape. A spokeswoman said: “Trying to bolt on extra issues to dietary definitions would simply add extra layers of bureaucracy for retailers and restrict choice for the majority of consumers.”
One of the people campaigning for a change in the labelling laws is Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat environment and animal welfare spokesman, who describes himself as a fish-eating vegetarian.
He said: “The Food Standards Agency needs to recognise that this is a real problem. We have a range of products that are not properly labelled. Many people would be appalled if they were eating any meat product in a food.”
The Food Standards Agency has made clear that it, too, considers that the presence of processing agents derived from animals on a food labelled suitable for vegetarians is against the rules, and companies could face legal action by Trading Standards.
VITAL INGREDIENTS?
Ingredients to avoid: Lard, animal shortening, animal gelatine, cholesterol and tallow (made by boiling the bones, fats, tissues and skins of cattle and pigs)
Lactose found in cream, some cheese, butter and yogurt
Casein made of proteins removed from milk, used in cheese products and even in foods marked “non-dairy”
Whey the liquid remains from milk, often used as a binding agent in cakes, biscuits and flavoured crisps
Rennet an enzyme removed from the stomach of slaughtered calves used as a coagulant in many hard cheeses. Many cheeses now contain microbial rennet, which is suitable for vegetarians
Honey often used as a sweetener in food products
Cochineal common red food dye made from crushed beetles
THE Food Standards Agency is attempting to broker an agreement with supermarkets and manufacturers over new rules for the labelling of vegetarian and vegan foods.
At present there is no definition of foods that are “suitable for vegetarians”. The only requirement, a provision in the Food Safety Act 1990 and the Trade Descriptions Act 1968, is that labels should not be misleading. This anomaly is of concern to vegetarians, vegans and religious groups such as the Hindu and Jewish communities, because many foods that are labelled suitable for vegetarians are not acceptable to them.
The issue also affects those consumers who have an intolerance of dairy products. Often products are labelled “non-dairy” even if they have been made with milk proteins such as casein.
There are four million vegetarians in Britain and the market is worth £582 million a year. But it may be difficult, if not impossible, to agree a single definition because vegetarianism means different things to different people. Many people say that they are vegetarian, yet eat fish, strictly taboo under the rules set by the Vegetarian Society. Others will not eat fish but do eat eggs.
Often a product may not contain an animal ingredient, yet its formation depends on an industrial process that uses animal or fish extracts. Many yoghurts and ice-cream, for example, contain animal gelatine, which is produced by boiling the skin, bones, fats and tissue of cattle and pigs. This can even be used to remove sediments in fruit juices. Yet this information is rarely provided on labels.
Some companies use an alternative, microbial gelatine that is acceptable to vegetarians.
When there are blatant breaches in the labelling rules, trading standards officers will investigate, but often legal action is stymied precisely because there is no formally agreed definition of vegetarian.
The Food Standards Agency is trying to draw up new guidance for supermarkets and the food industry, but any legal definition will be a matter for the European Commission, something that could take years to agree. The watchdog hopes that a solution will be reached in Britain within a year.
The British Retail Consortium is happy for a definition that excludes obvious products such as meat or poultry from vegetarian foods, but is concerned that over-strict rules would involve too much red tape. A spokeswoman said: “Trying to bolt on extra issues to dietary definitions would simply add extra layers of bureaucracy for retailers and restrict choice for the majority of consumers.”
One of the people campaigning for a change in the labelling laws is Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat environment and animal welfare spokesman, who describes himself as a fish-eating vegetarian.
He said: “The Food Standards Agency needs to recognise that this is a real problem. We have a range of products that are not properly labelled. Many people would be appalled if they were eating any meat product in a food.”
The Food Standards Agency has made clear that it, too, considers that the presence of processing agents derived from animals on a food labelled suitable for vegetarians is against the rules, and companies could face legal action by Trading Standards.
VITAL INGREDIENTS?
Ingredients to avoid: Lard, animal shortening, animal gelatine, cholesterol and tallow (made by boiling the bones, fats, tissues and skins of cattle and pigs)
Lactose found in cream, some cheese, butter and yogurt
Casein made of proteins removed from milk, used in cheese products and even in foods marked “non-dairy”
Whey the liquid remains from milk, often used as a binding agent in cakes, biscuits and flavoured crisps
Rennet an enzyme removed from the stomach of slaughtered calves used as a coagulant in many hard cheeses. Many cheeses now contain microbial rennet, which is suitable for vegetarians
Honey often used as a sweetener in food products
Cochineal common red food dye made from crushed beetles