Non-Vegan Vegan Food

Are these "vegan scallops" really vegan?
(c) Doris Lin 2009, licensed to About.com

The Investigation Bureau in Taiwan last month found that up to 50% of the processed foods labeled as "vegetarian" actually contained meat. DNA tests revealed that samples from 17 of 31 "vegetarian" vendors included animal flesh. It is possible that the meat was the result of unintentional cross-contamination if meat products were also processed in the same facility. Manufacturers who are found to have deliberately added meat to their products will be prosecuted.

This is not new news for Taiwan. A 2004 investigation by the Department of Health in Taiwan found that 15 out of 21 "vegetarian" products contained pork, beef, fish or fowl. A Buddhist nun told vegetarians who may have eaten the contaminated food, "It was not your fault because you didn‘t know."

Is some of this adulterated food making its way to the United States? Apparently so.

A vegan blogger in Los Angeles and two friends recently conducted a very scientific undercover investigation of local vegan restaurants. They obtained laboratory test kits to test take-out food for eggs, casein and shellfish, and found that only 10 of the 17 restaurants passed. The other seven restaurants either intentionally or unintentionally had eggs or casein (a protein from animal milk) in their food. None tested positive for shellfish.

In Los Angeles, it appears that at least one restaurant was deliberately using dairy cheese and misrepresenting that cheese as vegan. But among some of the other restaurants, the amateur investigators believe that it is "highly likely that these restaurants use the same food supplier for meat substitutes," and were relying on the labels that listed only vegan ingredients in the fake meats. Like seasoned investigative reporters, the trio followed the supply chain and contacted a Taiwanese manufacturer of meat substitutes who told them:

Sometimes the ingredient listings are not 100% inclusive of what’s in the product . . . Sometimes eggs, fish flakes and milk might be added but not on the label, and we never include ingredients of all the additives – there would be too many . . . Most of the time, the “veggie meat” products contain egg albumen because the isolated soy protein base we purchase comes that way from the manufacturer.

Want to conduct your own experiments with food from your favorite vegan restaurants? It's going to be tough. I contacted Elizabeth Berryman, VP of Corporate Development for Gen-Probe, a company that manufactures scientific testing kits, including testing kits for shellfish, egg and casein, and she responded:

Unfortunately, we do not sell these products to the general public; we do however work with food manufactures many of whom use our products as part of their quality control procedures. These kits were all designed for use by food manufactures and contract labs in a controlled setting. The reason being is the critical nature of both the sample collection process as well as the need to validate the tests for a producers' specific product to ensure that the test kits can detect the allergen of interest in a user's specific sample matrix.

One of the L.A. investigators, "Mr. Wishbone," recommends "dating a technician at a food lab" if you'd like to conduct your own tests.

On July 1, Taiwan's new vegetarian food labeling law went into effect, and is said to be the "world's strictest law" on the issue. I certainly hope it's enforced.

Links:

• What is Veganism?
  
• Arguments For and Against Humane Meat
  
• What are Cruelty-Free Products?
  
• Vegan, Cruelty-Free Gift Guide