Why aren't all animal-derived ingredients marked?

Question

I know that companies are required to list on their packaging if they include milk, soy, eggs, wheat, etc. Why aren't they required to do so for meat or animal-derived ingredients? I know about the "V" marking and some companies list when their product is vegetarian, but it's only a few mainstream companies at best. Anyone know why they're not required to do this?

Answer 1

Milk and eggs aren't marked for vegetarians, because frankly the companies don't care about veg*ns.  Milk and eggs are known allergens, which companies will point out to avoid lawsuits.  All of the foods in bold (i.e. This product contains WHEAT, MILK, and SOY) are there to alert people allergic to those foods.

Luckily, many companies state whether or not their products are veg*n, and we can use the same allergen notifications to help us.  Meat isn't an allergen, but its easy to spot in the ingredients list.

Answer 2

They mark the allergens to protect themselves from lawsuits.  Most people don't care about animal ingredients, so there's no motivation to mark them.  I think a lot of people would be digusted if they did; my omni boyfriend just found out yesterday that there was beef fat in Twinkies and was pretty sicked out by the idea.  Like if he's eating a burger, he knows full well he's eating beef fat, but he resents having it slipped to him in something where it's not obvious.  Marking those things might put a few people off their products.

Answer 3

enough people don't care

Answer 4

Not an answer--a question for Mockingbird.

I haven't had twinkies in quite some time, but where did you get your information about beef fat in twinkies?

Thanks!

:o)

Answer 5

The reason there are any markings is because of food allergies.  They are required to mark the foods that contain a certain list of the top foods that people are allergic to.  In addition to the ones you have named, peanuts also comes to mind as one of the top food-allergy items.

Believe me, until the government REQUIRED makers to list these popular allergy items, they weren't listed either - - I'm allergic to soy & peanuts and am grateful for the mandated marks.

Meat or animal-derived products are not items that people are commonly allergic to so you won't find those markings required.

Even though I'm not vegetarian or vegan, I would be thrilled if companies had to mark things that way.  I'm interested in eating better for my health and would probably tend to avoid unsuspecting items that contain animal-related contents (like the poster above mentioning twinkies) just for the sake of having a better grasp of what is in the food I'm eating.  BUT because I have food allergies I'm a bit more prone than the average consumer to reading food labels and translating what those 5-mile long ingredients really are.

Answer 6

The primary reason is that there isn't enough support for it. A company isn't going to add another step to it's processing and production costs unless enough people demand it with their wallets. Trace back the content label history and you'll see things added only when the public consciousness about something reaches a point at which they won't buy something unless it's marked, or, sadly, when someone is killed.

Your specific issue would be very difficult for many companies to implement. What level of animal product are you concerned with? They use egg whites to help filter wine, for example, but there isn't any in the bottle. Would the bottle have to carry some sort of notice of this? What if they used leather bindings on the casks? Wool insulation? What if the company buys processed items from another company, do they have to check on that sub-company?

Unless you can identify how and why this level of attention would be required in the company's bottom line, they're not going to put time into checking every nook and cranny of their product, the items they buy to produce their goods or the way they get their product to market. For simple products you could do some or all of the research yourself, or get others to help you.

Answer 7

yah, your right, i agree. and its sad how people dont care...it gets me so upset...i wish we could all make a difference

Answer 8

Because 99% of people eat meat and don't care maybe?

Answer 9

Because then where do you stop? Do you mark if the food is suitable for coeliacs? Vegetarians? Vegans? Those who are lactose/gluten/wheat etc. intolerant or those who have obscure food allergies or intolerances (such as myself, intolerant to many things and allergic to spices). I do see where you're coming from, but the reality is that if they have to mark for one thing, then they have to do it for everything else.

Add: Actually, not all products are marked for containing milk and eggs.

Answer 10

I totally agree.  I always wonder what the "natural flavor" is or what it's derived from when listed in the ingredients