Change in Supplier for Ingles Food

[freesprouts]

For anyone else who shops at Ingles and takes advantage of the cheaper, "more locally distributed," Laura Lynn brand, Ingles recently changed suppliers (I think!) for this brand and most of their items with new packaging are NOT vegan anymore (in the sense that there is a warning that the food is processed on equipment using milk and eggs

Comments

[enjoy_your_day]

:\ unless you have real food allergies, many people feel it is good to support companies that display the "shares equipment" warning. Many vegan businesses use machines that have come in contact with dairy/eggs because they aren't big enough to afford their own. They are (supposed to be) thoroughly cleaned and sterilized before use (ie it's not like the crackers are mingling with string cheese when they're going down the conveyor belt).
If that's still iffy for you then by all means avoid it, but it's good to support the little guys if you can.

[underthethrow]

What she said. I was going to write a comment but this about sums it up.

[la_jolie_vie]

iawtc

[socraticomatic]

+1 more.

Although I see (after Wiki'ing) that the brand in question isn't a boutique vegan brand, it's the own store brand of a local supermarket chain. So in this particular case the "support the vegan producers" doesn't apply (but "support the vegan products" would).

[wefoughtharder]

"(in the sense that there is a warning that the food is processed on equipment using milk and eggs)."

all that means is that someone else used the equipment for a completely different item, and then washed and sanitized it before the other stuff was made.

do you only eat food that is supplied by vegan companies with enough money to own their own processing plant?

[freesprouts]

I'd love to be able to afford food from vegan companies that owned their own processing plant, but what really bugs me about this issue is that this used to not be a problem. At one point I would have eaten their products because they didn't share that equipment. The fact that the warning is for people with food allergies means that some animal byproduct could quite possibly make it into the food. That isn't vegan (for me). I don't have any allergies to animal byproducts, however I do have a severe allergy to some fruits and some tree nuts, so I'm aware of how cross-contamination in the workplace can cause allergic reactions to food without those specific products. Having worked in several kitchens, I just don't buy it that someone who gets paid minimum wage, works shitty hours, and has no chance of promotion is going to give a shit whether or not they have enough time to sterilize that equipment before making "vegan" crackers. As I said, I think this is the push that's helped me realize the benefits of going more raw foodist.

[wefoughtharder]

"The fact that the warning is for people with food allergies means that some animal byproduct could quite possibly make it into the food."

not really. its just a legal issue, to cover their asses. its not any more of a problem now than it used to be - allergies are just more prevelent now, so they added the warning. its a preemptive measure. its not like every five minutes a new thing is being made on the equipment and they just wipe it down. different companies do production on different days or even weeks. do you think a vegan company is going to come in and see ground beef and cheese smeared all over a counter and just plop their products down on top of it? i'm not sure what you're picturing, here.

if this is something that you actually think negates veganism, you'd better think about silly things like how many animals are killed by the exact same equipment your raw foods are coming from. that is worse than a small chance of miniscule cross-contamination.