[This discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/vegetarian/comments/11ws70q/anyone_keep_forgetting_a_particular_food_isnt/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) made me think of this once more.
Nowadays there’s the occasional [“Vegan” or “Vegetarian”](https://www.v-label.com/) label on a package, which is helpful, but even that’s often missing. Like in some noodles that are supposedly chicken or beef-flavored, but don’t actually contain those animals.
Honestly it would just be easier if all *meat* products were labeled, because obviously there are many more food items out there without anything animal-derived. There could be a label for meat, for fish, for eggs, for dairy, for other animal byproducts like gelatin. It would save me a lot of time I spend squinting at the ingredients list and googling whether additive E635 is animal-based or not.
by M_HP
14 Comments
Yes! India has a system with a green dot indicating vegetarian friendly packaged foods. I’d love to see this become a thing in the states.
Yup. Its frustrating having to stand for five minutes trying to figure out what, if anything, is the animal based ingredient aka why there’s no V on the packet. Between being veggie and food intolerance I spend way too much time reading in supermarkets.
This would be super helpful
It definitely seems backwards. I have had so many bad experiences with animal based products. I only recently found out that tablet capsules contain animal products
100% I turn over the carton and can figure out at a glance if it contains nuts or was made at a packaging plant that may have fish. Why cant the package also say “meat free” or similar?
same!!!!!! trader joes back in the day used to do this and it was sooo amazing and easy to shop there
i guess manufacturers moved away from this practice so its not worth keeping track of. its probably easy to just have the machines going without seperating ingredients based on animal products and lets face it, unless this demand is big and can make them money, the cheapest fastest production applications will take place
🥗
Tip: learn kosher symbols!
There are a few major kosher certification systems used in the US, and they’re easy to find on the package.
Most common is Orthodox Union, looks like a U inside an O (circle). If that’s all you see, it’s parve (neither meat nor dairy but may have fish or egg). If it’s got a D next to it, it’s dairy, which means no meat (but may have fish). M means meat. F means fish.
https://oukosher.org/blog/industrial-kosher/all-ou-symbols-explained/
There are other kosher certification programs, too.
It’s not a perfect match, but it’s helpful.
We have this system in India. Green dot for vegetarian, Red for non veg and eggs. Soon the vegan label will also be included on the products.
This would be great. Like I don’t really need to know that my lettuce has no meat in it, but thank you lmao.
Edit: I mean because it will have a logo for things like this that aren’t really necessary, but not on other products that would make sense to have it lol
Why dont you just make all your own meals? That’s what we do. I worked in restaurants for a good portion of my youth, and I know cross-contamination is almost guaranteed. And besides, you shouldn’t be supporting commercial food production anyway, most of the companies making vegan food are either producing products with animal-based ingredients on the other side of the plant or they committing acts of atrocity against their employees. Just. Make. Your. Own. Food.
I have this problem, too. I actually make an online grocery list so I can read the labels before I go so I’m not stuck in the crowded grocery store trying to decipher all the different ways they can say animal byproduct. It still takes time but at least time spent in the house in my slippers.
Also you gotta watch out for those “plant-based” labels because sometimes they have dairy ingredients which is not a plant 🤷🏻♀️
Please ask the F.D.A. (Food and Drug Administration)
https://preview.redd.it/1rxa9dz9dspa1.png?width=50&format=png&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=bdc6079869da5df45faf17c83cfa5877c7798175