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Why Ingredients Lists are Scary
Do they really mean what they say?
What’s with a label that says “contains milk” but it doesn’t?
For a long time now, I’ve been reading labels; it comes from being vegan and making sure there are no animal ingredients. So why is it that ingredients lists are scary? It’s not only the numbers that are a minefield, it can also be the way ingredients are worded.
Most of the time, I am up with the ‘animal’ products and numbers you find on products’ back. For example, whey is dairy and gelatine is made by boiling skin, tendons, ligaments, and/or bones. And, a number like E635 may or may not be vegan, so best to put the item into the reject basket. But for newbies, it can be quite the minefield deciphering the ingredients.
With a new product the first thing I look at is “contains….”, which is underneath the actual list. It also can say “may contain…” meaning that the product is made in the same factory as products using these specific ingredients.
It took my son to point out that a particular brand of potato chips (crisps) are, in fact, vegan. They do NOT contain milk as is stated on their packet. He has even gone so far as to ring the company to ask if dairy is in the chips. I believe he’s won a few bets with this knowledge.
