playace
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Re:how do i know - 2005/05/08 11:42
Some companies don`t use the VSUK symbol because VSUK charge for its use as a way of raising money. Same goes for Vegan society symbol, although its a lot cheaper.
If a food manufacturer uses their own symbol or simply labels the product as suitable for vegetarian, you would have to ask for their definition of vegetarian, since there isn`t a legally agreed one. VSUK insists that any eggs used are free-range; supermarkets like Tesco & Sainsburys use the same definition as the VSUK (last time I checked) except that they don`t insist on free-range eggs. However, they can change their definition any time they like.
If the product isn`t marked suitable for vegetarians, the only way to find out is to contact the manufacturer.
Even where food is marked as suitable for vegetarians, mistakes can be made. I once bought some "vetetarian sausages" from a health food shop. The manufacturer specialised in vegetarian food. I later found out they`d made a mistake in their ingredients when I read an item in the VSUK magazine.
Large manufacturers cometimes conduct random tests on their supplies to make sure they are really vegetarian (according to their definition). As far as I know, the VSUK & the Vegan society don`t conduct their own tests.
I am dubious about any processed food unless it is from a specialist vegetarian food manufacturer. Most processed foods contain a warning that they may contain minute amounts of nuts. This is because, if a manchine has been used to produce a product containing nuts, when the machine is cleaned it won`t remove all trace of the nuts. Logically, the same must apply to any machine which has been used to manufacture something containing slaughterhouse products. ie any machine which has been used to manufacture something containing slaughterhouse products can`t be used to produce genuinely vegetarian products.
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