Some Cheese has Rennet in it (lining of a calf's fourth stomach) =[?

Question

I’m a vegetarian and I just learned that some cheese has rennet in it which is the lining or a calf's fourth stomach. So, what cheese brand or something doesn't have any animal parts? Does even like cream cheese have rennet in it?

Answer 1

Almost all the cheeses are produced by coagulating milk with Rennet.

In United States there is concerted effort to replace the Rennet with vegetable enzymes. The Rennet is extracted from the fourth stomach of young calf. Veal has gone out of style, making Rennet expensive. Most of the brand names use both vegetable and Rennet enzymes so the products are no labeled. Most of the Mozzarella, Paneer (Indian Cheese), Queso Blanco (Mexican Cheese) are acid heat coagulation and do not use enzymes. Some of the Ricotta cheeses are produced by acid/heat coagulation. Most of the cottage Cheeses are produced with enzymes.

There is no labeling requirement tin USA. You have to contact the manufacturers directly to find out how they are coagulating milk to produce the cheeses that you are interested in.

Answer 2

my answer to a previous question today:

most creameries use rennet, which is the lining of a calf's fourth stomach, to curdle the milk. it is a by-product of the veal industry. there are companies that do not use animal rennet - daisy sour cream and cottage cheese, sargento's (all but the jarlsberg, romano, provolone, and asiago are safe) and all horizon organic cheese. some kraft is supposedly safe, but i don't risk it. supposedly all cream cheese is safe because it's made differently, but i am not positive of that. other than that, you're kind of on your own. you will definitely have to try to buy your dairy at trader joes, whole foods, or another health food / co-op store. their staffs are used to these questions (unlike your average big chain supermarket), so please ask if you are unsure and they will definitely be able to help you out. if there is a brand/style you like, do NOT hesitate to email the company and ask if they use animal rennet in their dairy products!

Answer 3

Check with individual companies. Many answer whether they use rennet or not in the Q and A on their webpages.

Some stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's offer a list of all the cheeses they carry that are vegetarian-friendly (no cow rennet).

Kraft cheese has openly said they do not use rennet because using rennet is more expensive. However, Kraft is owned by Altria Group (which is Phillip Morris's new name, and Altria Group is one of the most notorious, inumane, animal testing, human killing corporations out there - they are the ones behind most of our current name brand cigarettes after all... so your dollar trickles up into Phillip Morris pockets).

However, many cheeses (especially soft ones like gorgonzola) have rennet in them. Rennet is associated with gourmet, upper end or otherwise tastier cheese, unfortunately.

Labeling alone on a product is unreliable, because the enzyme or microbial substance used to coagulate the cheese isn't always specified or named.

Vegetarian-friendly cheeses ARE out there and ARE available. Just check online for some of your favorite brands.

If anything, buy vegan cheese - it is dairy-free, so the cruelties that occur on many commercial dairy farms are out of the equation, and obviously no rennet either.

Maybe see if you can find local cheese - you can see that the cows are taken care of then, and you can support local business, and you can ask a human being instead of taking the gamble with an impersonal, corporate giant.

Answer 4

Whole foods has some good options.. But read the back and make sure you get the one without Casein. I grabbed the wrong one last night because I was in a rush.

http://www.galaxyfoods.com/ourbrands/usa...

http://www.galaxyfoods.com/ourbrands/usa...

Do you want something that has no animals PARTS or something with no animal PRODUCTS?

Answer 5

Lots of good info already.  Just wanted to add that Tillamook brand cheeses, which are available widely in regular grocery stores, are made without animal rennet.  Or at least several varieties are (they say so in clear terms on the side panel of the package.)