"Processed in a facility that uses MILK..(and other things,even meat/dairy)"
Posted by pattycakex on Aug 20, 2009 · Member since Jul 2009 · 12 posts
I see some products that are totally animal free but on the box it says "Processed in a facility that uses MILK,etc etc. those are still considered vegan right? do u still buy them?
Personally I still buy them. They are required to say such things because of allergies. Some people have such severe allergies to dairy and other things that they need this information.
Many companies that make vegan food also make non-vegan food. I can't worry about that kind of thing. It's like my "health food" store also sells meat, but I still shop there.
I still by them unless it has really weird stuff on it. Like if I buy cookies and it says "processed on equipment that may process anchovies" it weirds me out. But SOO many companies make several products-- to me being that picky would be more trouble than it's worth.
Yeah, apparently if the allergen is even in the same facility (not necessarily on the same equipment), they have to label it like that now. Even some vegan companies have those warnings, because they share manufacturing facilities with other companies (or something). It would be tough to find chocolate that didn't have that warning about dairy. It's more for the people with super sensitive allergies.
I see it as less contamination than eating in a non-vegan restaurant. At a restaurant, there's cross contamination - some inevitable, some accidental, and on top of that, of course they're using the same dishes and utensils over and over with different foods. But manufacturers, as I understand it, are usually a lot more careful because of the allergy problem and because they specifically state on labels what's in a product.
It would be tough to find chocolate that didn't have that warning about dairy.
There are two allergen-free brands that I know of: Enjoy Life and Divvies
But yeah, I don't worry about the processing disclaimer because I don't have allergies.
Yeah, it doesnt bother me. It only bothers the vegan police that read ingredients on all yoru food and see that and go crazy on you. Silly vegan police.
I don't heed the allergen warning. I think it might even be counterproductive to do so in some cases. For example, if a company makes one vegan chocolate bar, but we don't buy it because of the allergen warning, that sends the message that no one really wants the vegan candy bar anyway.
those warnings are a huge help for some families like mine! I know that I can eat GF foods that are made in the same factory as non GF products, just on different lines. But if food is made on the same line, and it isn't washed and sanitized right in between, like with cereal production, then you get cross contamination and it makes me sick. Its nice to see some companies have dedicated GF lines for their GF products, or like Bob's Red Mill specifically state that they use the same lines, but carefully wash them down in between products, and also batch test to make sure there is no cross contamination.
Its funny but those warnings are the result of years and years of lobbying the FDA to create more deffined rules for food lables. Celiacs and others with allergies used to have to call and literally beg companies to "release" the secret ingredients to insure they were safe to eat! And for medications, cosmetics, etc.
the last few years have seen a total change in how I shop for foods, and what I can eat. LOVE IT!
very helpful guys, thank you!!!!
I don't.
I do otherwise (unless you have an allergy) it all starts to get a bit silly. If we won't eat food made in a factory that also makes non-vegan food do we then not eat food transported with non-vegan food (afterall that truck is non-vegan). What if was near a non-vegan product on the shelf or the shelf was stacked by a meat eater.
If we get ridiculous about it then we just distance ourselves more from the omni's and send the message that we don't want companies to make vegan products and that being a vegan is extremely complicated.
I see it as this way it's like eating off a dirty dish.
I truly believe if a company cannot afford to have their equipment they shouldn't be making anything. There is no excuse for it.
I believe it will come to this someday that the companies will be putting on a label saying, "Oh will you please excuse the garbage, gook and anything else that you find disgusting that accidently fell into our product when we were making it."
If I go buy some dish to which it should be vegan from the very start why should there be milk, eggs, or meat in it?
It's also sloppy dirty cooking as well.
I truly believe if a company cannot afford to have their equipment they shouldn't be making anything. There is no excuse for it.
The vast majority of new vegan companies start out this way. If that was the rule they'd have to go by, there wouldn't be very many vegan products out there, and they'd be much, much more expensive than they are now. Many times after the company gets a bit larger they are able to purchase dedicated equipment.
This is about vegan food being made on dirty dishes. It's about allowing a company to wash and use the same dishes for different types of food. This level of contamination is much lower than eating in a nonvegan resturant or eating in a nonvegan kitchen.
Not with my severe egg allergy. I actually wrote a paper on this specific topic... ::) Lets just say I was very passionate about the subject b/c I said "a product shouldn't claim to be free of certain foods and then on the back have a warning saying that it may contain it anyway." I think I also said the new allergy laws allowed companies to be lazy and not clean their equipment properly. My teacher said while being very informative about food allergies, I was also be rather argumentative. :whatever:
I will still buy them...unless the allergy warning is about wheat, since I'm Celiac.
The way I see it, it's only for allergy purposes, most of the time. The odds of actually having dairy in your product is pretty slim, but "shit happens" and there may be the smallest trace of something. I wouldn't worry unless there is an allergy concern.
I truly believe if a company cannot afford to have their equipment they shouldn't be making anything.
Unless it's a large company, a company will contract out the recipe to a manufacturer. Companies give recipes to plant operators, who then make x number of products for x number of companies. Many hfs brands have been purchased by large companies, who will make multiple products in one factory. The industry isn't really set up so one product is produced by one set of equipment.
I truly believe if a company cannot afford to have their equipment they shouldn't be making anything.
Unless it's a large company, a company will contract out the recipe to a manufacturer. Companies give recipes to plant operators, who then make x number of products for x number of companies. Many hfs brands have been purchased by large companies, who will make multiple products in one factory. The industry isn't really set up so one product is produced by one set of equipment.
I think they should when it comes to food.
"Processed in a facility that (blah blah)", i have no real problem with-- like others have said, i like creating the demand for (perhaps) that ONE vegan candy that you DO make... what i absolutely will not buy are products that say "May contain eggs" (or whatever)... um, yyeeaahhh... if you guys don't even *know* what you put in there? "f*** smooth off!"is what i say... i'll eat something else, thanks!! :P
"f*** smooth off!"
LOL, wait, what?!? Never heard that before, now it's stuck in my head and I must say it to someone...
I see the warning as specifically a very serious warning to those with real, life-threatening allergies. One of my friends once said to me "You know that bench you're sitting on was probably glued together with an animal based glue...". Things like that are too embedded in our lives and simply unknowable in total. I agree with the poster that said to show demand for that one vegan product a company makes. Step by step...
"f*** smooth off!"
LOL, wait, what?!? Never heard that before, now it's stuck in my head and I must say it to someone...
It's become a linguistic staple, for me personally... may have borrowed it from Eddie Izzard, not sure... but it certainly does come in handy-- so, go forth and share with the world!
;D
"Processed in a facility that (blah blah)", i have no real problem with-- like others have said, i like creating the demand for (perhaps) that ONE vegan candy that you DO make... what i absolutely will not buy are products that say "May contain eggs" (or whatever)... um, yyeeaahhh... if you guys don't even *know* what you put in there? "f*** smooth off!"is what i say... i'll eat something else, thanks!! :P
Yeah, I agree.
As far as the processed in a facility deal, I just imagine a label on my kitchen which says that vegan food I cook here was processed in a facility that uses meat, dairy, eggs, etc.
I take plenty of time cleaning, but there's no way I wouldn't cook in my own kitchen just because it's in the same general area as something non-vegan. Lots of us have non-veg family members, friends or spouses who we live with, and IMO the label is the equivalent to that.
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