Reader Michael Brown wrote:
Somewhat surprisingly, I just got the following from Companion Foods. http://www.evercompanion.com/

It seems that their sugar is vegan! I’m forwarding it to you with hope that other vegans will be helped by it too:

Dear Mr. Brown,

Our sugar is manufactured by Taiwan Sugar Corporation (http://www.taisugar.com.tw/english/index.aspx) and according to Taiwan Sugar, their sugar is made from 100% cane sugar and does not use bone char or other additives. Therefore, the sugar is completely safe for vegans and vegetarians.

We hope this message has been helpful to you. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us again any time.

Have a good day,
Emily
Companion Foods Customer Service

By Jeanne Yacoubou. MS

Genghis Grill is a restaurant chain featuring build-your-own stir fry bowls. Since its first Texas opening in 1998, there now are over 100 locations in 23 states. To view the restaurant locator on the company’s website go to:http://www.genghisgrill.com/locations/. According to the Genghis Grill corporate office the chain has plans to expand to other countries beginning in 2015.

In Summer 2014 Genghis Grill made major changes to its menu and website. The Vegetarian Resource Group spoke with the Director of Culinary Research & Development at Genghis Grill in October 2014 about what the chain now offers vegetarians and vegans. She told us “servers will be more than happy” to make any substitutions requested in stir fry dishes or signature bowls. Patrons should request them upon arrival.

Ingredient lists are available on menus or in nutrition brochures placed in restaurants or online. However, because meat, poultry, fish and seafood are prepared and served on the premises, the Director stated that Genghis Grill does not promote any of its menu items as vegetarian or vegan even though some of them may be all-vegetable.

Patrons at all but the eleven sit-down Genghis Grill restaurants may build their own bowl by first choosing raw vegetables; uncooked meat, poultry, fish, seafood or tofu; and spices from the Fresh Market Bar. They take them to the grill master to be cooked on the circular grill. According to the Culinary R&D Director: “The starches [including eggless udon noodles, rice or “egg-based” pasta] are added at the end of the cooking process and can be placed on the side if the customer prefers. The spices are added by the customer on top of their protein selection and are cooked with the bowl. The sauce is added at the very end to coat all ingredients.”

Vegetarians and vegans may note that tofu is sectioned off from other menu items at the Fresh Market Bar. Guests should ask the grill master to sanitize the area on which the tofu will be prepared. The tofu is cooked under a lid.

Genghis Grill offers fifteen sauces for the build-your-own stir fry bowls. Page Five of the Nutritional Guide lists all sauce ingredients: http://www.genghisgrill.com/wp-content/uploads/Genghis-Grill-Nutritional-Guide.pdf.

The Honey Soy Sauce contains honey. The Szechuan Sauce contains oyster. The Khan Pao Sauce contains milk, oyster, chicken fat, and chicken broth. The Red Curry Peanut Sauce contains shrimp paste. The Garlic Water Sauce contains only garlic and water. All other sauces among the fifteen (excluding a few others served with signature bowls or chef-made dishes) are all-vegetable and contain either high fructose corn syrup derived from corn and/or beet sugar.

The VRG received the following in an email from Genghis Grill:

“Please see the statement below taken directly from our sugar specification – the sugar used in [our] products is 100% beet sugar, which is not filtered through bone char.

Cargill’s® Spreckels Granulated Sugar, a food grade product, is made by crystallizing a purified and filtered thick juice syrup removed from sugar beets, which is then dried and screened to produce the most popular sugar grades.”

The Culinary Director told us that the Worcestershire sauce in several of their sauces and the natural flavors in the Mongo BBQ sauce “contain no animal ingredients or animal flavors.”

The Spicy Thai Tofu signature bowl is served with Red Curry Peanut Sauce which contains shrimp paste. Other sauces may be substituted.

The Thai Street Noodles and the Drunken Noodles chef-made bowls are made with “eggless udon noodles that contain no animal byproduct.” The Cashew Almond Sauce served with the Thai Street Noodles “has a chicken stock as its base.” The Drunken Noodle Sauce “is vegan friendly.”

The Director told us that their fried rice is made without eggs. “Only pure Kikkoman® Soy Sauce is all we use” with no added animal flavors or ingredients.

On the website menu “Gourmet Fried Rice” is listed as a separate item containing scrambled egg. The Gourmet Fried Rice is different from the fried rice which may be selected to accompany a stir fry or used in a bowl. Genghis Grill told us that the Gourmet Fried Rice may be ordered without the egg.

The restaurant chain also offers a Garlic Citrus Edamame appetizer which is “not made with any animal ingredients or flavors.”

Genghis Grill’s catering menu is on the new website. One of the options is the Buddha Bowl made with tofu. When placing their order customers may substitute another sauce for the Honey Soy Sauce served with this bowl.

For more information, visit: http://www.genghisgrill.com/

The contents of this website and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

For information on other chains, see: http://www.vrg.org/fastfoodinfo.php
To find vegetarian restaurants, see: http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php
To vote for your favorite chains, visit: http://www.vrg.org/vote/index.php
To support The Vegetarian Resource Group research, visit:
https://www.givedirect.org/give/givefrm.asp?CID=1565
or
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By Jeanne Yacoubou

An online reader recently asked The VRG if any Doritos products available in the United States were vegan. To find out, The VRG in August through October 2014 called Frito-Lay®, maker of Doritos. We spoke with different customer service representatives and nutrition specialists each time.

On the Frito-Lay website, there are several different lists of products suitable for people with special dietary needs: http://www.fritolay.com/your-health/for-special-dietary-needs.html. Among those of interest to vegetarians and vegans are lists of Frito-Lay products that do not contain milk, do not contain pork enzymes, or do contain eggs. There are two lists of products certified kosher by two different certifying agencies. There is no list of vegan products on the Frito-Lay site.

We asked Frito-Lay employees why a vegan list wasn’t available. A nutrition specialist told us that “since ‘vegan’ means different things to different people such a list would not be helpful..it could confuse people.” The specialist advised The VRG to develop its own list based on website ingredient information.

In looking over all of the lists and comparing them, The VRG concluded that there are four possible Doritos products that are vegan-eligible. These four are on the lists of products containing no milk nor pork enzymes and they are not on the list of products containing egg.

Our preliminary vegan list was as follows (Note: keep reading below!):

Doritos Reduced Fat Spicy Sweet Chili Flavored Tortilla Chips
Doritos Salsa Verde Flavored Tortilla Chips
Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili Flavored Tortilla Chips
Doritos Toasted Corn Tortilla Chips

The VRG called Doritos again about the ingredients in these products. We discovered that the Salsa Verde Flavored Tortilla Chips listed as containing “natural chicken flavor” is “from chicken.” Therefore, this is not a vegan item. http://www.fritolay.com/our-snacks/doritos-salsa-verde-chips.html

We also learned that the Reduced Fat Spicy Sweet Chili Flavored Tortilla Chips (sold only in schools’ vending machines) and the Spicy Sweet Chili Flavored Tortilla Chips contain natural flavors that are not animal-derived. http://www.fritolay.com/our-snacks/doritos-spicy-sweet-chili-chips.html

A customer service representative at Frito-Lay told us that “none of the natural flavors in any Doritos product is animal-based.” A nutrition specialist confirmed this. However, she elaborated further by saying “if a natural flavor contained an animal ingredient it would be identified on the label.” (As we learned, the natural chicken flavor mentioned above is from chicken.)

Doritos employees told us that the sugar used in the Reduced Fat Spicy Sweet Chili Flavored Tortilla Chips and the Spicy Sweet Chili Flavored Tortilla Chips “is either cane or beet sugar…it depends on our suppliers and availability.” We learned from the customer service representatives and nutritionists that “ingredient processing is not considered a part of ingredient information so we will not be able to tell customers if cow bone char was used.” All Doritos employees read to us from a prepared statement when we asked about the sugar in their products.

The VRG received confirmation from Frito-Lay of our tentative vegan listing for the Toasted Corn Tortilla Chips. The nutrition specialist told us that they are all-vegetable referring to the Toasted Corn Tortilla Chips as “vegan.” http://www.fritolay.com/our-snacks/doritos-toasted-corn.html

Vegetarians may wish to note that all Doritos products containing cheese or cheese flavorings “do contain animal enzymes” according to two nutrition specialists we spoke with on the phone. The VRG asked if Frito-Lay made such a general statement to avoid potential mislabeling issues as other manufacturers may do or if all cheese and cheese flavoring in Doritos actually contain animal enzymes. The reply we received was “This is true in all cases.” Beside pork enzymes, Frito-Lay provides no further information on which type of animal enzyme or which animal species is used.

All VRG readers may wish to know that Doritos Jacked™ Ranch Dipped Hot Wings Flavored Tortilla Chips contain chicken fat, chicken powder, and chicken broth. http://www.fritolay.com/our-snacks/doritos-jacked-ranch-dipped-hot-wings.html

The contents of this website and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, sources of microingredients can be unknown, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
VRG Research Director

An online reader emailed The VRG that he had seen an article on the Internet stating that tricalcium phosphate could be derived from cow bone char. Another source we found made the same point. The reader asked if our Guide to Food Ingredients’ vegan classification for this compound needed to be revised in light of this information.

Food-Grade Calcium Phosphates
“Calcium phosphate” is the general name for a class of compounds containing one or more calcium and phosphate ions.

The form with three calcium ions (tricalcium phosphate or tribasic calcium phosphate) is commonly used as an anti-caking agent or nutritional supplement.

The form with one hydrogen ion attached in the phosphate group (dicalcium phosphate or dibasic calcium phosphate) is often used as a dough conditioner. It is frequently used in growth media (for fermentation-derived ingredients) and nutritional supplements.

The form with two hydrogen ions attached in the phosphate group (monocalcium phosphate or monobasic calcium phosphate) is often used as a leavening agent, dough conditioner, or firming agent. It may also frequently be used in growth media (for fermentation-derived ingredients) and nutritional supplements.

Phosphate Manufacturers and Distributors
The VRG contacted major manufacturers and several distributors of calcium phosphate compounds in December 2013 and January 2014.

A Technical Services employee of major manufacturer Prayon wrote to us that: “Our phosphate salts are produced using raw materials of mineral origin. They are suitable for vegan products.”

In a follow up email from Prayon Technical Services we learned that: “All of Prayon raw materials are of mineral origin. Tricalcium phosphate rock is mined from the earth. The rock is crushed and purified to form phosphoric acid, which may be reacted with alkali salts to produce purified phosphate salts.”

Prayon only manufactures phosphate salts for food/pet food use, pharmaceutical excipients, and industrial and horticulture applications.

Suqian Modern Chemical Co., Ltd. in China also manufactures phosphates of various types. The VRG was informed by emails from a Suqian sales manager that: “We can supply both calcium phosphates from bone ash and calcium phosphates from mineral rock… There is no calcium phosphate from bone [that is] food grade; only feed grade. We sell calcium phosphate mineral food grade…”

UK-based Fertecon Ltd. a leader in the global fertilizer industry states on its website that “Phosphate rock is the basic raw material of the phosphate fertilizer industry…” http://fertecon.agra-net.com/home/phosphate

The VRG also contacted the multinational chemical distribution company Brenntag. A long-time employee told us by phone that “all of the major manufacturers that we distribute for use phosphate rock…for human food- and for animal feed-grade.”

Prinova, another global chemical distribution company, told us by email that “Ours are all sourced from phosphate rock” when The VRG asked if they distributed any from bone ash.

California-based chemical distributor Wintersun Chemical confirmed that all of their phosphates are mineral-derived.

Freeda Vitamins told us by phone that “According to the information we have from the company we buy the calcium phosphate powder from, the source is natural minerals.”

Calcium Source in Calcium Phosphates
The VRG asked Prayon and Suqian Modern Chemical about their sources of
the calcium in all of their calcium phosphate products.A Technical
Services employee at Prayon told us by phone that “Our calcium
phosphates are manufactured using calcium oxide (lime) as a raw
material.” An employee of Suqian wrote to us that their calcium source
“…is all from long-ago mineralized plant and animal material that we now
call ‘rock.’”

We asked Prayon and Suqian if their calcium source could ever be derived from cow’s milk or oyster shell. (The latter may be used as a source for calcium carbonate which could be involved in chemical reactions to form the calcium phosphates.) Both companies told us that cow’s milk or oyster shell could never be used as their calcium source.

Historical Endnote
Sources of Phosphates Information on the discovery of phosphorus from urine and how it was obtained for commercial purposes over time can be found in Weeks’ The Discovery of the Elements. Using this and other sources, Peter Childs in his article titled “Phosphorus: Fire from Urine” elaborates on the animal sources of phosphorus:

Bone ash became the major source of phosphorus until the 1840s. Phosphate rock, a mineral containing calcium phosphate, was first used in 1850 and following the introduction of the electric arc furnace in 1890 this became the only source of phosphorus. Phosphorus, phosphates and phosphoric acid are still obtained from phosphate rock.

Another website providing information about the historical sources of phosphorus is located at: http://www.phosphatesfacts.org/faqs.asp

The writer observed during research for this article that bone ash-derived calcium triphosphate is available for purchase on eBay: It is described there as a lab chemical that can be used to make ceramics, as plant food or as fertilizer.

The contents of this article, our website, and our other publications, including the Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company employees or company statements.Information does change and mistakes are always possible. Please use your own best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. Further research or confirmation may be warranted.

For more information on vitamins, sweeteners, and other food ingredients as well as the processing methods used to make them, visit http://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php. You can also purchase a print version for $6.

Vegetarian Journal Issue 2, 2013 is now online!

Articles included in this issue are: Cooking with Fresh Herbs; Vegan Backpacking; Starting a Vegan Food Manufacturing company. Ed Coffin, RD, shares his experience using a co-packer.; Living Among Coconuts; A Vegan in China, Part 2; Which Ingredients are Acceptable to Vegans?; Dietary advice for hot flashes during menopause.; Vegan Cooking Tips ; Quick Breakfast in a Mug or Travel Cup, by Chef Nancy Berkoff; Jim Dunn’s Work with Neglected Youth, by Whitney Blomquist; Which Sugars Aren’t Processed with Bone Char?

For more back issues, visit: http://www.vrg.org/journal

Subscribe to the Vegetarian Journal to receive current issues in print! To subscribe and to support vegetarian research and outreach, either:

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By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
VRG Research Director

An online reader asked us if a cow bone char filter is used in the manufacture of SPLENDA® Brand Sweetener (a brand name for sucralose), an artificial sweetener found in a wide variety of foods and beverages.

According to http://www.splenda.com/faq/no-calorie-sweetener#3, SPLENDA® Brand Sweetener is made “…through a patented, multi-step process that starts with sugar and converts it to a no-calorie, non-carbohydrate sweetener. The process selectively replaces three hydrogen-oxygen groups on the sugar molecule with three chlorine atoms.” http://www.splenda.com/faq/no-calorie-sweetener#19 also indicates that SPLENDA® contains small amounts of dextrose and/or maltodextrin (VRG note: both usually corn-derived).

Tate & Lyle, the British creator and current major manufacturer of SPLENDA® Brand Sweetener, describes its production methods on its website. http://www.tateandlyle.com/aboutus/ourindustry/pages/sucralose.aspx
This page specifies that the company “…uses ordinary granulated sugar, similar to that used in the home, as the starting material.”

A specialist in the technical resource division for bulk ingredients at Tate & Lyle in August, 2012 when talking about SPLENDA® told us that “no animal-sourced carbon is used in the processing of the sugar or the manufacturing process of our sucralose.”

The Tate & Lyle resource specialist told us by phone in October 2012 that he had contacted his supplier and was told that “…no bone char is used. The cane sugar comes from Australia and is further processed in Singapore.”

In November 2012 The VRG contacted CSR/Sugar Australia, http://www.sugaraustralia.com.au/, a company which described itself to us by email as “…the leading supplier of quality refined sugar products. We service the industrial and consumer sugar market and market the CSR Sugar brand. Sugar Australia produces over 700,000 tons of refined sugar a year, from our two refineries in Melbourne and Mackay.

Refined sugar is produced from raw sugar and the Australian raw sugar industry is one of the largest in the world. The Australian industry produces 4.6 million [metric] tons (10.1 billion pounds) of raw sugar annually and over 70 percent of this is exported. Sugar Australia is the largest domestic customer of Australian raw sugar, and the largest exporter of Australian refined sugar.” (By comparison according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/sugar-sweeteners/background.aspx, the United States produces approximately 3.6 million short tons (7.2 billion pounds) of raw sugarcane annually.)

Sugar Australia also told us that they “…export to many different countries; however, we do not export to South or North America.”
When asked about their decolorization methods, Sugar Australia told us that “[O]ur CSR/Sugar Australia refined white sugar is made at our Sugar Australia refineries in Melbourne, Victoria, and Mackay, Queensland. Both sites use a number of purification steps towards converting the bulk non-food grade raw sugar into the food grade white refined sugar product. The major decolourising step uses granular activated carbon that is derived from coal. This replaced the bone charcoal decolourisation step (which used to use roasted cow bones) that was used until about 1990.

I assume your concern is in relation to the use of animal products. I can state that no animal products at all are used in the sugar refining process by us.

We also have Halal certification and Kosher certifications for our range of sugar products.”

The VRG contacted the Australian Vegetarian Society to see if they could confirm our findings. The AVS president received a reply from Sugar Australia to his inquiry: “I would like to know if you use cow bone char as a refining process, or indeed if you use any animal products at any stage of processing.”

Narelle in the Customer Service Department at Sugar Australia in November 2012 replied to AVS: “I can confirm that we do not use any animal products in our refining process. We use carbon in our processes however this is not sourced from any animal products or byproducts.”

We also asked JK Sucralose, Inc., http://www.jksucralose.com/, the second major sucralose company based in China. An employee at the New Jersey office of JK Sucralose told The VRG by phone in July 2012 that “cane sugar is always used.” No further information was available on how the cane sugar used to make sucralose was processed.

Interested readers may find our 2007 sugar article of interest: http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2007issue4/2007_issue4_sugar.php. In this article, The VRG reported that leading sugar companies in the United States process most cane sugar through cow bone char filters in order to decolorize it.

The contents of this article, our website, and our other publications, including The Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company employees or company statements. Information does change and mistakes are always possible. Please use your own best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. Further research or confirmation may be warranted.

To purchase our Guide to Food Ingredients, please visit our website: http://www.vrg.org/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=8

For information on food ingredients, fast food, and for other information of interest to vegetarians and vegans, please subscribe to our enewsletter at http://www.vrg.org/vrgnews/

To support VRG research, you can donate at http://www.vrg.org/donate

There are many ways to stay connected to The Vegetarian Resource Group!
Get our blog delivered right to your inbox: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheVRGBlog
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Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/VegResourceGrp

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
VRG Research Director

An online reader asked us if maltitol was a vegan ingredient. Maltitol is one of many polyols (sugar alcohols) used as sugar substitutes. Sugar alcohols are common in confections and baked goods. They are also widely used in the pharmaceutical industry. The VRG reported on another common polyol, glycerol, in September 2012: http://www.vrg.org/blog/2012/09/24/glycerol-and-mono-and-diglyceride-updates-mostly-vegetable-derived/

Here is a list of some common polyols (other than glycerol) found in food:

• Erythritol
• Isomalt
• Lactitol
• Maltitol
• Mannitol
• Sorbitol
• Xylitol

In July and August 2012, The VRG contacted several companies which manufacture polyols. The unanimous opinion was that they are all vegetable-derived. The notable exception is lactitol which is derived from cow’s milk.

A marketing department representative from Ingredion, (formerly Corn Products International, Inc.), a manufacturer of several polyols, told us that they use corn. Cargill told us: “Besides the isomalt which is only produced in Germany from sugar, the rest of the polyols in the United States are produced from corn. Erythritol can be produced from other carbohydrate sources (i.e. sugar), but currently is only produced from corn.” A sales representative from Danisco stated that xylitol may be a by-product of the paper industry, coming from hardwood trees.

A general manager at Mitsubishi Shoji Foodtech Co., Ltd. based in Japan told us by email that “all of the [following] polyols are of non-animal/vegetable origin:
maltitol, sorbitol: from corn or cassava starch; erythritol, mannitol: from sugar; xylitol: from xylose or corn cob.”

A document that we received in August 2012 from a Customer Care Assistant from DuPont Danisco, one of only a few manufacturers of lactitol, stated that they use lactose from cow’s milk to manufacture lactitol. Another employee of the company told The VRG that lactitol “…is becoming very common in oral health products, and in the food industry…there is a growing demand for it.”

A polyol specialist at Cargill told us in July 2012 when we asked if cow bone char filters were ever used in polyol processing: “I am not aware of bone char being used. Decolorization is normally done via activated carbon and ion exchange resin.”

The contents of this article, our website, and our other publications, including The Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company employees or company statements.Information does change and mistakes are always possible. Please use your own best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. Further research or confirmation may be warranted.

To purchase our Guide to Food Ingredients, please visit our website: http://www.vrg.org/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=8

For information on food ingredients, fast food, and for other information of interest to vegetarians and vegans, please subscribe to our enewsletter at http://www.vrg.org/vrgnews/

There are many ways to stay connected to The Vegetarian Resource Group!
Get our blog delivered right to your inbox: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheVRGBlog
Like us Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thevegetarianresourcegroup
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/VegResourceGrp

To support ingredient research, donate at http://www.vrg.org/donate or join at https://www.vrg.org/member/cabcaibe.php

By Charles Stahler

Food companies, marketers, researchers, students, and media for years have been asking The Vegetarian Resource Group about the number of vegetarians and vegans. But now that our audience is being taken much more seriously, we are being asked more in-depth questions.

Should items containing sugar whitened with bone char be labeled vegetarian? Will vegetarians eat veggie burgers cooked on a grill where meat was cooked? What about
growing meat in a test tube? To help answer some of these questions, we wanted to find out what vegetarians and vegans are thinking. We did an informal survey of our
Vegetarian Journal subscribers, booth attendees, and on-line visitors. But we also wanted to run a more scientific random poll, which can be extrapolated to the United States adult population.

First we commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct a national telephone poll of a representative sample of 2,030 respondents. This gave us the number of vegetarians with a sampling error of plus or minus two percentage points. We then asked the vegetarians, vegans, and those interested in vegetarian meals:

If you’re looking to buy a vegetarian product, you would purchase:
(Select all that apply.)

1. Your favorite veggie burger cooked on the same grill where meat is cooked, if the grill is cleaned first.
2. A vegetarian vegan deli slice sandwich in Subway.
3. Your favorite dessert containing sugar, if the source of sugar isn’t specified.
4. A vegetarian dish containing leafy greens such as broccoli, kale, or collards.
5. A vegetarian dish containing whole foods such as lentils, chickpeas, or rice.
6. A meat alternative grown from animal cell DNA obtained ten years ago, which does not currently involve the raising of animals.
7. Your favorite dessert containing sugar whitened through a bone char filter, if bone char is not in the sugar.
8. None of the above

No answer

NUMBERS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR FOOD COMPANIES, RESTAURANTS, HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, AND FOOD SERVICES
(The questions were asked of those that eat one or more vegetarian meals per week.)

WOULD PURCHASE A VEGETARIAN DISH CONTAINING LEAFY GREENS SUCH AS BROCCOLI, KALE, OR COLLARDS
74% Total
77% Vegans
72% All Vegetarians including vegans
70% Vegetarians not including vegans
75% All those that eat one or more vegetarian meals per week, not including
vegetarians/vegans

Of note is that about three fourths of all audiences are looking for healthy greens, as your favorite dietitian and mom suggested. For restaurants, foodservices, and companies, that are only thinking meat analogs, producing items with green vegetables should seriously be taken into consideration. On the other hand since one quarter of those eating vegetarian meals may not go out of their way to purchase green vegetables, it should not be assumed that a vegetarian or someone eating vegetarian meals (or a meat eater) is automatically eating a healthy diet as suggested by health authorities. When evaluating a vegetarian (or meat eating) client’s diet, a dietitian or other medical professional should specifically ask what is being consumed.

WOULD PURCHASE A VEGETARIAN DISH CONTAINING WHOLE FOODS SUCH AS LENTILS, CHICKPEAS, OR RICE
67% Total
80% Vegans
65% All Vegetarians including vegans
61% Vegetarians not including vegans
68% All those that eat one or more vegetarian meals per week, not including
vegetarians/vegans

This may be of concern long term that about 40% of vegetarians are not seeking whole foods. Dietitians, public health professionals, and educators may need to keep an eye on this. Vegans do appear to be looking for healthier meals.

WOULD PURCHASE YOUR FAVORITE VEGGIE BURGER COOKED ON THE SAME GRILL WHERE MEAT IS COOKED, IF THE GRILL IS CLEANED FIRST
56% Total
53% Vegans
57% All Vegetarians including vegans
58% Vegetarians not including vegans
56% All those that eat one or more vegetarian meals per week, not including
vegetarians/vegans

About half will purchase a veggie burger cooked on the same grill where meat is cooked, if the grill is cleaned first, and about half won’t. We don’t know what percentage of the non-purchasers will eat a veggie burger if the burger is cooked separately. Since people have different views, we believe this points towards labeling and disclosure so customers can make their own decisions. Even in small establishments, it may be possible to meet the needs of some vegetarians by working together. Various options include a microwave or separate pan on the grill. Education of food service staff may work to attract and keep new customers.

WOULD PURCHASE YOUR FAVORITE DESSERT CONTAINING SUGAR, IF THE SOURCE OF THE SUGAR ISN’T SPECIFIED
47% Total
25% Vegans
37% All Vegetarians including vegans
40% Vegetarians not including vegans
49% All those that eat one or more vegetarian meals per week, not including
vegetarians/vegans

Some vegetarians or vegans won’t eat products with white sugar because of concern of the sugar being processed through bone char. See http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2007issue4/2007_issue4_sugar.php

And some individuals don’t want to consume added sugar at all, or only certain types of sugar for health or political reasons. Just over half of the people eating one or more vegetarian meals once a week are not choosing to buy a dessert if the source of sugar isn’t specified. This is a very strong case for labeling. Manufacturers, restaurants, and foodservices should label the source of their sugar so that consumers can make their own choices. This information should also be easy to find on product and restaurant websites. It makes sense that vegans would be most concerned about the sugar, but it is fascinating there was also a high level of concern among all those that eat one or more vegetarian meals per week. If a manufacturer or restaurant has a doubt about any ingredient being suitable, they certainly should label and disclose.

WOULD PURCHASE A VEGETARIAN VEGAN DELI SLICE SANDWICH IN SUBWAY
47% Total
54% Vegans
54% All Vegetarians including vegans
54% Vegetarians not including vegans
47% All those that eat one or more vegetarian meals per week, not including
vegetarians/vegans

Most chains and restaurants have added vegetarian burgers. About a half of those eating vegetarian meals and thus at least one quarter of the whole population would also buy vegan deli slices. It makes sense for restaurants and food services offering veggie burgers to take this next step and add and promote another convenient sandwich product.

WOULD PURCHASE YOUR FAVORITE DESSERT CONTAINING SUGAR WHITENED THROUGH A BONE CHAR FILTER, IF BONE CHAR IS NOT IN THE SUGAR
21% Total
3% Vegans
21% All Vegetarians including vegans
26% Vegetarians not including vegans
21% All those that eat one or more vegetarian meals per week, not including
vegetarians/vegans.

We were surprised that 80% of the people who eat vegetarian meals, but are not vegetarian, wouldn’t purchase the sugar processed through bone char. Since they already eat meat, why would they care? Possibly many of these people didn’t want a product with sugar, and bone char wasn’t the issue. Or maybe the words “bone char” just sounded bad to them, and they don’t care that it’s an animal product. But it was striking that twice as many people would eat sugar if they didn’t know the source as people who would eat the sugar processed through bone char if they knew this happened. There’s no question that to meet the needs of consumers, companies should be labeling the sources of their ingredients so customers can make their own decisions. This question appears to be the only place where there was a truly large difference between vegans and vegetarians. But this issue still seems like it matters to many vegetarians and those eating vegetarian meals, who are not vegan.

WOULD PURCHASE A MEAT ALTERNATIVE GROWN FROM ANIMAL CELL DNA OBTAINED TEN YEARS AGO, WHICH DOES NOT CURRENTLY INVOLVE THE RAISING OF ANIMALS
11% Total
2% Vegans
4% All Vegetarians including vegans
5% Vegetarians not including vegans
12% All those that eat one or more vegetarian meals per week, not including vegetarians/vegans.

Some advocacy groups, individuals, researchers, and businesses see meat grown in a factory as the answer to numerous environmental and animal welfare issues. As of
now, almost every vegetarian-interested consumer segment seems not to be ready for this product. It is to be expected that vegans wouldn’t want to eat the product, but it’s fascinating how many of the non-vegetarians are not ready for this development. These types of products should be labeled and disclosed so consumers will be able to make their own decisions in the marketplace.

METHODOLOGY

Harris Interactive conducted a survey within the United States by telephone on behalf of The Vegetarian Resource Group between March 15-18, 2012 and March 22-25, 2012, among a nationwide cross section of 2,030 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race, education, region, number of adults in household, and number of telephone lines were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the U.S. population.

For those that ate one or more vegetarian meals per week, we asked follow-up questions.

For the vegetarians, in theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the results for the overall sample have a sampling error of plus or minus 10 percentage points. For those that ate one or more vegetarian meals per week, the sampling error would be approximately three percentage points. From our first question, we determined that forty seven percent or 982 respondents ate one or more vegetarian meals per week and asked the follow-up questions of these individuals.

Unfortunately, there are several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys, including refusals to be interviewed (i.e., non-response), question wording and question order, and weighting. It is impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these factors.

The data above are from the Harris Interactive telephone poll. The interpretation and analysis above are those of The Vegetarian Resource Group, and not directly a result of the poll. The thoughts are based on these numbers and other polls, as well as our other experience and research in the vegetarian movement. These results and our conclusions can drastically change, especially as there are more vegetarians and vegetarians are more knowledgeable.

For more information on Vegetarian Resource Group polls, see
http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/faq.htm#poll

A reader writes:

My findings indicate that refined sugar (cane, not beet) is passed through bone char to make it white. One source, which I have not been able to corroborate, asserts that bone char may include bones from pigs. It also stated that blood albumin from slaughterhouse animals is used in another refining step. Are either of the last two points (use of pig, use of blood albumin) correct?

Jeanne Yacoubou, MS, VRG Research Director, responds:

No source whom I have contacted about bone char filters in sugar refining, (and I have spoken with all of the major sugar refiners in the United States), has ever claimed that pig bones are used. In fact, since one source stated that only the large, dense pelvic bones of cattle can be used to produce bone char, I find it very unlikely that relatively small pig bones would be adequate substitutes.

No source whom I have contacted on the topic of sugar refining claimed that blood albumin was used. Blood albumin could be used in fining wines although I believe that this practice is not used at all in the United States today. It may still be used by some traditional winemakers in Europe.

The VRG recommends that all concerned consumers should contact a product’s manufacturer when in doubt about the item’s ingredients or processing methods.

For more information about sugar refining and the issue of vegan sugar click here.

photo from Roasted and Raw

The Vegetarian Resource Group maintains an online Guide to Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants in the USA and Canada. Here are some recent vegan restaurant additions. The entire guide can be found here: www.vrg.org/restaurant

To support the updating of this online restaurant guide, please donate at: www.vrg.org/donate

Here are some new additions to VRG’s guide:

Bar Vegan, 706 Grayson Hwy., Lawrenceville, GA 30045

Bar Vegan approaches vegan cuisine with “fun and flare.” A couple of their Starters are Street Corn, caramelized on the cob, coated with cilantro lime aioli, parmezan, ancho chili flakes, fresh cilantro, and lime, or lightly charred Maple Glazed Brussel Sprouts with house-made sriracha agave sauce, topped with toasted sesame seeds and lime. Main dishess include Cheezesteak Combo, a classic Philly sandwich made with your choice of protein, sautéed with onions, mushrooms, bell and banana peppers; Boneless Chik’n Wings–tenders tossed in either bourbon, lemon pepper, or buffalo sauce with homemade vegan ranch; or Chef’s Choice Spaghetti with Bar Vegan’s house-made marinara of onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, and fresh grated parmesan to name a few Main dishes. For Kids there’s Beyond Chick’n Tenders and Fries or Beyond Cheezeburger and Fries. Saturday and Sunday Brunch offers Shrimp ‘N Grits–Nashville hot tossed vegan shrimp and roasted garlic cheeze grits topped with micro greens; French Toast–Red velvet baguette, strawberries, and candied pecans with cream cheeze anglaís; and Seasonal Pancakes featuring Chef’s choice with warm maple syrup. Sweets include The Booze Brownie, a warm fudge brownie topped with Hennessey ice cream and agave drizzle, or Home Wrecker, a fried sweet potato in cinnamon sugar, topped with cream glaze, powdered sugar, and a side of peach jam.

Bunk House Coffee Bar, 236 S. US Hwy. 1, Tequesta, FL 33469 and 3181 NE West End Blvd., Jensen Beach, FL 34957

100% plant based and mostly gluten-free food, baked goods, and beverages. They have a variety of “Smoothie Bowls” and “Food/Snacks” including a Bagel Sandwich (JUST Egg, Tomato, Spinach, Guacamole, Cream Cheese, and Salt & Pepper on a Toasted Everything Bagel), Breakfast Sandwich (JUST Egg, Beyond Sausage, Spinach, Tomato, and Spicy Chipotle Mayo on a Toasted English Muffin), Chia Pudding, and a Fruit Bowl. Also Breakfast Smoothies and Mylkshakes. Baked goods vary from day to day but include Carrot Cake Cupcake.

Daylily Coffee Shop, 912 N. Fremont St., Portland, OR 97227

Seven breakfast items, all of which come on an English muffin and are 100% vegan, including No. 1 (Just Egg, Cheese, Arugula, and Garlic-Aioli) and No. 4 (Peanut Butter and Jam) and Breakfast Burrito (Tofu Scramble, Black Beans, Potatoes, and Salsa). Lunch includes Mediterranean Wrap (Seasoned Soy Curls, Hummus, Romaine, Kalamata Olives, Red Onions, Red Peppers, Tortilla, Tahini Dressing) and Thai Chick’n Wrap (Seasoned Soy Curls, Red Onion, Shredded Carrots, Red Peppers, Romaine, Thai Peanut Dressing, Tortilla). Smoothies include Peanut Butter Banana, Kale Mango, and Ginger Berry.

Feral, 1640 NE Killingsworth St., Portland, OR 97211

Community oriented, one of Feral’s core values is having all their guests feel safe and welcome. They endeavor to respect the environment by employing techniques which leave as little waste as possible. While they aim to accommodate dietary restrictions, please see their FAQs for details. They collaborate with women owned businesses and local farmers to offer vegetable focused fare. Their menu reflects an ever evolving perspective, changing frequently to optimize seasonality. Here are some examples of dishes on the menu when this was written: Plum Barbecued Summer Chanterelles and Grits glazed with guajillo chili pepper and plum barbecue sauce, grilled zucchini, creamy grits, porcini jus, tomatillo salsa and cilantro; Country Fried Lion’s Mane–cornmeal-battered, served with blueberry, gochugaru (a sun dried chili powder with smoky, fruity, slightly sweet heat), koji sofrito, and vegetable salad in an herby, basil vinaigrette; Fettuccini with Eggplant and Chestnut Mushroom featuring eggplant cream, cherry tomato conserva, and fresh basil; Peaches and Cream marinated in ginger and lemongrass green tea with caramelized shallots, mint, calendula, fresh Jimmy Nardello (sweet, mild, fruity peppers) and aerated, fermented cashew; as well as Whipped Tofu and Cucumber Tartine featuring Ota tofu pate, black garlic skin and Za’atar (a savory Middle Eastern spice blend). That’s just a sample of some of their creative techniques and flavor combinations. Examples of Dessert possibilities include Spruce Tip Crème Brulée with Huckleberry balsamic syrup or mixed Stone Fruit and Cherry Scoop which chimes nicely on the tongue with vanilla ice cream, red wine cherry syrup and fresh bay oil. Though not required, reservations (via their Home Page) are highly recommended. Children are allowed until 8PM.

Roasted and Raw, 607 14th St., Oakland, CA 94612

Serves Burgers & Wraps, House Pastas, Bowls, and Sides. Most popular items are:  Vallejo Burrito (Onions, Peppers, Yucca Fries, Stewed Black Beans & Rice, Avocado, Lettuce, Pico de Gallo, Cheddar, Sour Cream); Orange Teriyaki Wok Stir-Fry (A Premixed Array of Wok Veggies:  Broccoli, Carrots, Onions, Bok Choy); Mac & Cheese (Glazed Sweet Potatoes, Garlicky Broccoli); Curry Chickpea Ragout Bowl (Hearty Curry Stew with Chickpeas, Cast Iron Veggies, Served with Glazed Sweets and Wok Baby Kale). Sample House Pastas are Bolognese with Fettuccini, Rotini (Fettuccini or Rotini Pasta, Sautéed Veggies, House Walnut Chorizo, Hearty Marinara Sauce, Parmesan, served with Crusty Garlic Bread) and Kelp Noodle Pad Thai (Cucumber, Carrots, Red Pepper, Mint, Basil, Sweet Chili, Peanuts, Served with Crusty Garlic Bread).

The Sleazy Vegan, 134 Main St., Suncook, NH 03275

The Sleazy Vegan Food Truck (so named because it “gets around”) serves daily from its permanent location in Durham, but is known to travel to a variety of other locales around southeastern New Hampshire.  (The street address, hours, and service type here refer to its dine-in location at Pembroke City Limits, just north of the river in Suncook.)  Its menu changes regularly, but some frequently offered favorites are the signature SVFT Burger, Sausage Hoagie, and Mexican-inspired breakfast foods.

Vegan Van, 3900 Elati St., Denver, CO 80216

Pizza lovers listen up! First Fridays of the month, Vegan Van hosts an All You Can Eat Pizza Party and Movie night, complete with unlimited “scratch made” vegan pizza, wings and salad, as well as board games and music!  8″ Pizza is also available. Besides Cheese and Margherita, there’s Mushroom Pesto with mozzarella, red onion and sausage, or BBQ Chicken Pizza with BBQ sauce, red onions, mozzarella, pineapple, chicken, cilantro, and more. They serve Wraps, Sandwiches, Burritos, and Tacos too. Some examples include Buffalo Caesar Wrap—crispy buffalo tofu, greens, sunflower seeds, coconut bacon, walnut parmesan and Caesar dressing, Chorizo, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Burrito with tater tots, JUST Egg scramble, seitan chorizo, cheddar cheese, kale, and green chile in a flour tortilla and a Crunchwrap of refried beans, seasoned seitan beef, nacho cheese sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and a crispy fresh tostada shell wrapped in a grilled flour tortilla, to note a few. Vegan Van takes their Pizza seriously—as in Dessert Pizza! Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pizza boasts chocolate chip cookie dough, white and dark chocolate chips, and chocolate sauce on their signature pizza dough with cinnamon sugar butter. There are also two rotating Cookie varieties—S’mores and Walnut Fudge for instance.