There was a big educational thread on kutchvalley email list about vegetarian cheese and I just wanted to capture all the meaningful links that were posted. I think it will be useful in the future also.
Tarun Lalan started the original thread with information on Cheese available at Trader Joes.
I personally had a good education through the discussion and thank all those who participated.
Rennet, used in the cheese-making process, can come from animal, vegetable, or microbial sources.
All three types of rennet are found in Trader Joe’s cheeses. Following is an explanation of each of
these rennet sources accompanied by examples of the products containing the specified rennet. This is
only a mere sampling of the products containing rennet that are available at your local Trader Joe’s.Animal Rennet
This enzyme is obtained from the stomach region of a suckling mammal, usually a calf of a lamb.
Animal rennet is the traditional rennet used to make cheese. Most European cheeses use animal
rennet.Vegetable Rennet
Vegetable rennet is derived from plants. The enzymes are extracted from the plants and modified into
a form similar to that of animal rennet. This type of rennet is acceptable for a lactovegetarian.Microbial Rennet
This is a common enzyme made by microorganisms through a process of fermentation. Common
microorganisms include fungi and bacteria. This type of rennet is also acceptable for a
lactovegetarian.Animal
Authentic Greek Feta
Chevre
Comte
Danablue
Extra Sharp Cheddar
Fontina
Gruyere
Imported Parmesan & Romano Grated
Jarlsberg
Parrano
Quattro Formaggio
Sharp Cheddar
Shaved Grana Padano Parmesan
Shredded Sharp Cheddar
Sliced Jarlsberg
Sliced Jarlsberg LiteMicrobial
Blue Castello
Brie
Crumbled Goat CheeseMicrobial cont.
Light String Cheese
Organic Light Whipped Cream
Cheese
Reduced Fat Sharp Celtic Cheddar
Shredded Parmesan
Sliced Colby Jack
Sliced SwissVegetable
Baby Swiss
Caprese Log Mozzarella
Goat Gouda
Mild Cheddar Cheese Sticks
Montery Jack Cheese Sticks
Ovolini MozzarellaNo Rennet
Cream Cheese
Soy Cheese
Whipped Cream Cheese
You might find more veg-friendly cheese and other dairy products at your local whole foods too.
Also, if on the cheese you pick up, the label does not say rennet but says “enzymes” usually this means animal enzymes – that means that it is not suitable for vegetarians. However, sometimes they specify artificial enzymes.
For everyone:http://www.greenpeople.org/listing/New-Dawn-Natural-5613.cfm— using this website, you can find local veg/vegan restaurants, markets etc…
Have you tried Tilamook? Their pepper jack is our favorite. They make cheese with NO animal rennet.
From the website FAQ of Tilamook
“We use the microbial/vegetable-based enzyme (which has Kosher and Halal certification, and is approved for vegetarian products) to make all Tillamook cheese, with the exception of Tillamook Vintage White Medium Cheddar and Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheeses. “
I came across this link. Hope its useful
http://www.vina.cc/stories/GENERAL/2005/6/veg.nonveg.cheese.html
When I typed “difference between rennet and enzymes”, I got the following first link (below)…….One thing is clear that “Rennet” is definitely made out of meat but Enzymes (most cheeses say this instead of rennet) are not always animal based and that’s where the trouble is for us vegetarians. I think the Big issue is not when it comes to buying cheese because we can always go for Tilamook and certain Trader Joe’s brands and we are good but the real problem is eating in restaurants and fast food chains. It becomes really difficult and hard work at that point. Ideally we should avoid eating outside that has cheese unless clearly specified about the type of enzymes in the cheese but things are different when it comes to practice for most of us. As a closing comment, I guess each one of us has to decide for ourselves as to where to draw the line! 🙂
Its not just cheese or rennet. We need to inspect/question all the food that we eat outside. I never thought Tortilla chips at the restaurant has lard/ chicken stock!
Like Manish said, its for each of us to draw the line.
HIDDEN MEAT IN RESTAURANTS (An Extract from the below links)
Tejas Mehta, a CPA living in Anaheim, Calif., was a regular customer at a Marie Callender’s restaurant there. “I used to go there regularly for Lions Club meetings,” he recalled, “and I used to eat the same Fettucini Alfredo due to the lack of vegetarian choices.”
He asked a waitress to check that the dish was vegetarian, and she “specifically confirmed” that it was, he said. Mehta, an adherent to the strictly vegetarian Jain religion, had heard from an acquaintance that some restaurants added chicken stock to their Alfredo sauce to keep it moist, so he asked the waitress to doublecheck. His fears were confirmed when she returned from the kitchen. “It had been non-vegetarian all along,” he told India-West.
Mehta shared his concerns with others in the Jain community, and found that the practice was widespread. In an article he wrote and circulated on the Internet, he quoted other Jains with similar experiences: “We were shocked to find out that the beans and rice at El Torito Grill in Irvine, Calif., are made with chicken and/or beef stock,” said Hansni Kamdar. “I have found out that soups, mashed potatoes, hash browns and rice are mostly made with beef/chicken broth,” said Aarti Mehta. “I tell every Jain not to eat in any Mexican restaurant,” said Geeta Khona.
“Some popular items that look vegetarian are really not what they appear to be,” said Mehta. “Tortilla chips, rice and beans generally appear vegetarian on the face of it, but many restaurants use lard, chicken or beef stocks to make these items. I used to eat Caesar salad for a long time before I realized it is not vegetarian.” (Many Caesar dressings contain anchovy and raw egg.)
“Isn’t this an eye opener? It’s about time issues like this are taken up with government agencies and consumer interest groups,” said Mehta.
http://www.vegetarian-restaurants.net/OtherInfo/FoodContainMeat.htm
http://jainsamaj.org/rpg_site/print_preview.php?id=1446
http://vegetarian-issues.suite101.com/article.cfm/hidden_nonvegetarian_ingredients
With Mexican Restaurants, one thing to ask for is lard. An example of where lard could be present is chips, tostada salad bowls, refried beans, rice and sometimes in the enchilada sauce. You can also google for lard-free mexican restaurants and should get a listing from one of the vegatarian websites. Replace refried beans with whole black beans; and enchilada sauce with verde sauce (green tomatoes – tamatillo sauce). Although be careful with verde sauce as they could possible add chicken stock for flavoring. Ask to sample some on the side with your chips before you order your main course — if it tastes different, it must be using chicken stock. Almost all mexican rice (even at Taco Bell) is cooked with chicken stock for flavoring. Local restaurants such as El Torito or Pedro’s use lard. Chevy’s, Baja Fresh do not.
To your point about enzymes. Enzymes are not only used in cheese but also wide range of products includng breads, bagels, yogurts,snacks, etc.
No where on the product do they mentione the source of the enzymes.
List of some enzymes that are animal based.
http://www.muslimconsumergroup.com/Product.do?eventAction=halalselection&menu=Product
http://cheese.joyousliving.com/CheeseListBrand.aspx
Whole Foods specifies “vegetarian” on their brand ‘365’
One brand missed in the previous list is PRESIDENT. Only their parmesan cheese contains animal rennet.
some of the chevre brands at Trader Joe’s are vegetarian.
I was reading the recent mail chain on vegetarian cheese. Thanks all for the info – I learnt things I wasn’t aware about. But that immediately brought another question – why in the cheese which is a v. small component such a big deal and there are no issues with cheese itself?
We all by now know that there is a lot of himsa to the animals in the way these dairy products are manufactured – are we ready to ignore that big component because we grew up drinking milk and eating dahi and cheese. Are we ‘used’ to it and have accepted it as ‘vegetarian’???? To my mind if we are so sensitive about not using animal products……..then we should try and give up cheese altogether than worrying about the source of the ‘culture’ which was used!
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/05/26/conklin-dairy-farms-animal-abuse-video-goes-viral/
http://www.veganpeace.com/animal_cruelty/dairy.htm