Vegan question

Meganalva

So I just wanna clear a couple things up.... is it NOT vegan if the package says...

1. "May contain trace amount of milk and eggs" (or similar)

or

2. "This product is processed in a facility that manufactures milk, eggs....etc"

I'm just confused as to whether they're vegan or not! Thanks!

vegangirl88

The actual product in this case does not contain milk/eggs/etc. It just means that the factory uses these ingredients in other products. It's just a way to save the company's *kitten* if someone who has a serious allergy suffers a reaction after eating the product. It's fine for vegans : )

BJPCraig

It's fine for vegans : )

Although I would agree with this, I'm sure there are more militant types that would argue... Of course, a lot depends on WHY you became vegan. If you're doing it because you DO have an allergy to milk/eggs, it would probably be a good idea to avoid those foods.

Although lots of people will give you "the rules," Megan, remember that there really is no Holy Writ of Veganism. You kind of have to do what feels right and works for you.

jennys11

So I just wanna clear a couple things up.... is it NOT vegan if the package says...

1. "May contain trace amount of milk and eggs" (or similar)

or

2. "This product is processed in a facility that manufactures milk, eggs....etc"

I'm just confused as to whether they're vegan or not! Thanks!

May contain trace amount of milk/eggs = not vegan
This product is processed in a facility that manufactures milk/eggs etc. = vegan

The product that is processed in the same facility is to let others know for allergy reasons. The company probably shares the same unit with other companies that use dairy or some products of theirs have nuts whereas some don't, so they have to put the disclaimer on it so they don't get sued.

Rule of thumb: if the ingredients doesn't have animals in it, you should be safe. Not all products say vegan, even though they are, like peanut butter. I love products that just say vegan on it, makes life so much more easier!

Grimmerick

This is a quick tip I heard too. If it is Vegan it will not have any cholesterol in it. So when I am not sure I check the cholesterol to make sure it says 0%.

jennys11

This is a quick tip I heard too. If it is Vegan it will not have any cholesterol in it. So when I am not sure I check the cholesterol to make sure it says 0%.

That's true! I often do that as well. Great tip.

Meganalva

Cool, thanks for the help!

celticgladiator

This is a quick tip I heard too. If it is Vegan it will not have any cholesterol in it. So when I am not sure I check the cholesterol to make sure it says 0%.

refreid beans are zero cholesterol but are made in part with lard so you still need to check the ingredients

hbunting86

I just check the ingredients - if it's made in a factory with dairy/eggs/meat there's not really much you can do about that. I guess it's to do with them not being sued if someone has an allergic reaction to the product.

Where possible I try to eat local, fresh and organic so kind of don't have that issue in a sense, but for some products it's unavoidable. Like people have said, I guess there are no hard and fast 'rules' as such.

Good luck

cinnamonswing

i usually also consider it vegan if it's just been produced in the same facilities/machines and may contain traces of milk. however, a while back i discovered that a dark chocolate that had previously been labelled as just containing traces now said that it contains milk. it turns out they had not changed the recipe and added milk but now they had done some more tests and considered that the trace amounts were larger than they had thought so they considered it large enough to add as an ingredient. big debate in the vegan community over that one...do we still eat it? when does a trace amount become "too much"? ultimately it is up to you to determine what you want to eat and why and where your boundaries are.

Stephanie198907

This is a quick tip I heard too. If it is Vegan it will not have any cholesterol in it. So when I am not sure I check the cholesterol to make sure it says 0%.

refreid beans are zero cholesterol but are made in part with lard so you still need to check the ingredients

This.

Just checking the cholesterol does not cut it. Reading the ingredient list is your safest bet. I tend to find a lot of "hidden" animal ingredients in foods they appear vegan like whey, casein, gelatin, enzymes, and etc.

aldousmom

So I just wanna clear a couple things up.... is it NOT vegan if the package says...

1. "May contain trace amount of milk and eggs" (or similar)

or

2. "This product is processed in a facility that manufactures milk, eggs....etc"

I'm just confused as to whether they're vegan or not! Thanks!

I would eat it, if it fit my other requirements.

Vegan_Runner

It depends on why you are Vegan and what you are comfortable with.

tabulator32

There is always the potential for a mistake to happen.

In a food processing plant, it can mean animal product being placed into vegan packaging. Its always a slight risk.

Of course, if the food processing plant makes only vegan products at its plant, the chance is greatly decreased (not absent, but decreased. Ya never know when mouse might get caught in something.)

Anyway...there is always a chance.

agent_44

This is a quick tip I heard too. If it is Vegan it will not have any cholesterol in it. So when I am not sure I check the cholesterol to make sure it says 0%.

refreid beans are zero cholesterol but are made in part with lard so you still need to check the ingredients

Not always the case, in the UK at least there isn't any lard in any brand I've found.

agent_44

So I just wanna clear a couple things up.... is it NOT vegan if the package says...

1. "May contain trace amount of milk and eggs" (or similar)

or

2. "This product is processed in a facility that manufactures milk, eggs....etc"

I'm just confused as to whether they're vegan or not! Thanks!

These are both essentially the same thing explained in different ways. Generally factories that produce food product use the same equipment on different products and this is essentially to cover themselves should any food traces remain in the equipment when switching product production from one thing to another. It;s essentially the same as sharing a kitchen with a non vegan. They might fry some eggs in a pan you later use to sautee mushrooms for example. While the pan has been cleaned in between there is still a microscopic chance that traces of what was cooked in it before might remain. It's entirely up to you if you choose to consider these things vegan or not.

jaimemariel

This is a quick tip I heard too. If it is Vegan it will not have any cholesterol in it. So when I am not sure I check the cholesterol to make sure it says 0%.

I don't think she was saying this is the only factor she looks at! But it is a good place to start. If it has zero cholesterol continue and read the ingredients. If there is any cholesterol save yourself the time and put it back.

I would eat things that say may contain milk and eggs IF there is no cholesterol and no animal products listed in the ingredients. I think (think, don't really know) that this is a necessary disclaimer that the factory has to make if its made on the same equipment, like nut traces, etc.