Supermarkets changing ingredients on special diet items without notice

bairn7

Just a minor rant.

I'm vegan so am used to being limited to what I can buy in supermarkets. As a result, I usually buy the same things as, over time, I've learned which items are and aren't vegan through scouring ingredients lists.

One of my staples has been Morrisons' own brand chicken-style pieces which were one of the only truly vegan meat-style items available from mainstream supermarkets with the exception of Linda McCartney sausages.

Fast forward to this week's shop and I pick up a few bags of these chicken-style pieces and have my customary glance of the ingredients list as I do on autopilot now. Low and behold, over the course of the last week, they have changed the recipe and it now contains egg so isn't vegan. There was no warning of this, no change in packaging and no 'new recipe' sign on the packaging. The pieces still look exactly the same so I can't see what the benefit is of changing the recipe. Now have to go through the whole process of posting on various boards/telling friends who I know use these to make sure that those who aren't as vigilant don't mistakenly buy this.

On the plus side, these pieces were the only reason I shopped in Morrisons as I find their fruit/veg, bakery, etc to be very below par. At least I don't have to set foot in their stores anymore.

Rant over!

bod1467

Perhaps they've always had egg, but the quantity was so low that it didn't need to be recorded? And regulations have changed* meaning all ingredients now need to be recorded?

* I've no idea if this is true, although I know there have been news articles recently about packaging and labelling.

nomoneytoday

At risk of stating the obvious, if you're vegan, why would you want to buy a faux-chicken product?

bod1467

DD1 is vegetarian, and has been for 7-8 years now. However it's a lifestyle choice and she doesn't try to shove her views in anyone's face.

For us (and now her partner) it's given us the opportunity to expand our diets and list of recipes, more so than if we'd all remained as omnivores.

But yeah ... Vegans are just weird.

kathrynha

It is annoying. I have allergies, and dread seeing "new recipe" or "improved recipe" on my favourite products, because it normally means I can no longer eat it, but no warning of the change is even worse.


I tend to cook everything from scratch most of the time to avoid this issue, but it is occasionally nice to be able to use convenience foods.

ElefantEd

Vegans, like everyone else, require protein in their diet. And, like most people, they like to have different tastes and textures in their food.

'Meat free' lookalikes satisfy both of these requirements. What's so odd about that?

bairn7

Thanks ElefantEd. I expected a few ignorant comments like those above.

Spot on though. Faux meat products provide a very good and convenient source of protein.

SnowTiger

bod1467 wrote: »

Perhaps they've always had egg, but the quantity was so low that it didn't need to be recorded? And regulations have changed* meaning all ingredients now need to be recorded?

That wouldn't surprise me. Many quorn-based meals contain egg.

I'm vegetarian and always examine labels, even those on items I've been buying for years.

bod1467

bairn7 wrote: »

Thanks ElefantEd. I expected a few ignorant comments like those above.

I hope you're not including my post #2 in that vein.

GwylimT

Until recently ingredients below a certain percentage did not need to be labelled, now they do, so unless the packet said vegan before then it will have always contained egg.

I have coeliacs disease and a nut allergy, for anyone avoiding food not looking at all ingredients and recognised symbols is asking for trouble.

bairn7

bod1467 wrote: »

I hope you're not including my post #2 in that vein.

Absolutely not bod1467