Vegetarians Beware: Your Yogurt and Cheese Might Contain Animal Products

As if vegetarians don't have a hard enough time finding food that is free from animal products, some foods they might consider 'safe' really contain animal products after all. Two such foods are yogurt and cheese. For vegetarians, not to mention everyone else, dairy is a very beneficial product, except for Vegans who are more strict and don't eat anything from animals, including leather, milk, eggs, etc. But, for those who do eat dairy, it would be a good idea to learn about what products might be in some foods.

There is substance called rennet that is used as an enzyme to harden cheeses. It's very important to know that there are two types of rennet; one is derived from animals and the other is not. Animal rennet is made from the stomach lining of young animals, primarily calves, but other animals like sheep or pigs can be used. The other rennet is made from vegetable sources. Cheese made with the vegetable rennet is, of course, acceptable to vegetarians. However, if non-vegetarians decide they don't like the idea of eating cheese containing a product from the lining of an animal's stomach, they might want to think about vegetable rennet, too. Not all cheeses contain animal rennet, and with the advent of more organic foods and cheeses, it's not too hard anymore to find non-animal rennet cheese in the stores. Most cheese using vegetable rennet will say so on the label.

Now we come to another animal-derived product. Gelatin. That's right, the main ingredient in Jell-O, many fruity type gummy candy, yogurt, and other foods. Gelatin is made by extracting collagen from connective tissue of an animal. Once obtained, gelatin is a colorless and tasteless solid. It's used to thicken, hence the term gelatinous, foods. Gelatin is a protein that comes from the hydrolysis of bones and connective tissue where the collagen is stored. The animals used are the typical farm animals like cows, sheep, pigs and even horses. When gelatin is heated up, it turns to liquid and then becomes solid again when it cools.

You don't have to be a vegetarian to want to stay away from animal products, so if a person makes the decision to avoid gelatin or animal rennet, reading labels is a good way to start. Next time you're in the grocery store, check the labels on yogurt. Most varieties contain gelatin. There are a few brands that don't and most of the organic brands don't as well. It's a bit more difficult to find a cheese that doesn't contain animal rennet, or to know what is meant when the label simply says rennet. But, unless the label states clearly that the enzymes are from a vegetable source, the cheese probably contains animal rennet. Once you get into the habit of reading labels, it isn't so bad. And there are always alternatives to Jell-O or gummy candy. Just look around or visit some of the health food stores for animal free products.