Is Tofutti really vegan?
Posted by VeJo on May 25, 2010 · Member since Oct 2007 · 3 posts
I participated in a vegan cooking class in Sydney, Australia recently, and the instructor advised us to use an alternative brand of vegan cream cheese, as the manufacturers of Tofutti would not confirm or deny whether or not they use sugar refined with bone char (this is not generally an issue in Australia, but Tofutti is imported from the US). Apparently the product is targeted to those on a Kosher diet rather than vegans, and so bone char is not a central issue for them.
I see a lot of recipes here that use Tofutti. Does anyone know what the status of this product re: bone char really is?
Thanks,
Jo.
I say vegan...
I do as much as possible to be vegan but quite honestly, I don't have the time or patience to call and email every company I buy food from.
When I buy sugar, I buy sugar without bone char. But when it comes to eating out or buying convenience items, I let it slide.
I honestly think if I got so hung up about such small details I would drive myself insane... I do THE BEST I CAN, which to me is what being vegan is about.
Good luck on your journey and if you're really worried about it, contact the company. I am sure they will respond quickly to your questions as I have emailed them before.
Amy
If they can't confirm it, and it's an important issue to you then don't buy it because you went to the source. Toffutti is actually marketed to the lactose intolerant and not vegans.
Personally, I buy like Amy does.
I had no idea about this. It makes me want to buy another brand, but I've never seen another brand of vegan cream cheese before. Thanks for the heads up, and I'll have to think on whether I want to continue purchasing this product.
Sheese is vegan... but British. Maybe make your own nut-based soft cheeses?
I too will do the research on it and get back to you with that tofutti!
It's not vegan and you're all going to spend a minimum of one year in vegan jail.
I once read that animal rendered products are used in the asphalt on our roads. I guess we just minimize our use of animals to the best of our abilities. Even that makes a difference.
maybe you can find out if it's beet or cane sugar. to my knowledge, beet sugar is not bone char filtered (it's already white), whereas cane sugar can be.
Funny, I just got into a conversation the other day about the vegan-ness (or lack thereof) of Tofutti Cream Cheese... I dont' have a container on me, but supposedly they don't list whether the mono- and di-glycerides are of vegetable origin? (I think I'm remembering that correctly...)
It's not vegan and you're all going to spend a minimum of one year in vegan jail.
I'm glad I don't like cream cheese, but I'm still in vegan jail for my transgressions of the past. But I like it here....wanna meet my bubba?
I had no idea about this. It makes me want to buy another brand, but I've never seen another brand of vegan cream cheese before. Thanks for the heads up, and I'll have to think on whether I want to continue purchasing this product.
Follow Your Heart makes "cream cheese" as well... I don't like it as much as Tofutti but it's good
"Does Tofutti use sugar that has been refined with animal bone char?
Most of our frozen dessert products use cane sugar. We assume that the sugar is refined with animal bone char since this is a fairly common procedure in the sugar refining industry. Please keep in mind that all sugar refining in this country is done by a handful of companies, who establish their own procedures for refining sugar. It is our understanding that if this process is used in bleaching the sugar, the bone char is actually extracted at the end of the procedure and no bone char remains within the finished sugar product. Our products are certified kosher parve, which means no animal parts could remain in the sugar. Also, I would like to bring to your attention that not all of our products use cane sugar. We also use corn syrup sweeteners and NutraSweet. We also have two stick novelties, Totally Fudge Pops and chocolate coated Marry Me Bars, which are sweetened with organic sugar."
And
"What is the source of your mono and diglycerides?
Why do you use them?
The mono and diglycerides we use comes from vegetables, never from animals. Mono and diglycerides are used as a carrier in some of the ingredients that we use in our products. This is true of virtually all other similar products that use gums and stabilizers as we do. The amount in the finished product is miniscule and we never directly add any into our product."
Vegan jail serves food with no spice or salt whatsoever. It's the true version of purgatory.
I wonder if the VW's 'cashew cream' recipe could be modified into 'cashew cream cheese'?... maybe less liquid/ some coconut oil or EB for texture? Or maybe the same concept, but with soaked macadamia or Brazil nuts? Hmmm.... some kitchen-lab time may be indicated.
You can try making soy yogurt cheese by straining soy yogurt through fine mesh or cheesecloth. I tried it myself, but I never got anything thicker than sour cream consistency. I didn't really use elbow grease to push the liquid out though - I just let it sit in the fridge for a couple of days over a fine mesh strainer. It doesn't really have a cream cheese flavor, but it is smooth and tasty. Perhaps with a bit of salt, lemon juice or some other flavorings it would taste more authentic.
The thing that really irks me about tofutti products is the palm oil. I'm trying to avoid palm oil for environmental reasons, but it seems to be rampant in veg*n prepared foods. ::sigh::
I dont buy tofutti because of what the ingredients are:
Water, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, solated soy protein, MALTODEXTRIN, tofu, non-dairy lactic acid, sugar, locust bean, guar and carrageenan gums, salt, VEGETABLE MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, and POTASSIUM SORBATE.
I dont buy tofutti because of what the ingredients are:
Water, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, solated soy protein, MALTODEXTRIN, tofu, non-dairy lactic acid, sugar, locust bean, guar and carrageenan gums, salt, VEGETABLE MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, and POTASSIUM SORBATE.
Why do you not eat guar and carrageenan gums? Aren't they both just thickening agents?
and maltodextrin is (usually?) potato starch.
do you non-tofutti-eating people not eat cane sugar in other items, like prepackaged food? there's got to be loads of "accidentally vegan" foods made with bone char sugar.
and maltodextrin is (usually?) potato starch.
do you non-tofutti-eating people not eat cane sugar in other items, like prepackaged food? there's got to be loads of "accidentally vegan" foods made with bone char sugar.
From what ive read its usually made from corn. When they make corn syrup i believe its a byproduct. I mainly don't want eat chemicals unless unavoidable.
Just to be ridiculously pedantic: everything is made of chemicals. Chemicals=elements.
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