Are Van's "vegan" waffles really vegan? They include a "D" on the Giant Peapod site.?

Question

They might be kosher but the "D" signifies, I think, that a milk-derived product is in the ingredients. Gov't regulators and some groups argues that it is so modified as to not be considered a dairy product. This may be important for people who are vegan because of purely health concerns, but not necessarily for those who are vegan for ethical reasons.

Answer 1

The "D" means it's manufactured on the same equipment as something containing dairy. They are vegan though.

Answer 2

Peapod might be mistaken, because on the Van's packaging there is no "D", and on top of it the ingredients are extremely brief, there is nowhere it could even sneak in (no artificial flavors, colors, etc). It's just straightforward grains, flax seeds and berries, depending on the variety.

The word "vegan" is not tossed around very lightly on packaging, and if there was a dairy derivative Van's would never get away with it. They've been embraced by VegNews and other huge vegan magazines and from my experience their products are natural and wholesome. There's nothing in the ingredients that could even accidentally have dairy in it. They are very cautious because many of their consumers are allergic and/or religiously, ethically or otherwise opposed to dairy, eggs and often gluten in their food.