Vegan mints from Nestle

[CharityAJO]

Was in grocery today and glanced at these Dark Chocolate After Eight Mints made by Nestle - and guess what? They're vegan! So if anyone's been craving some thin mints... I thought I'd let you know. :)

[saborm]

Isn't it great? I found that out a few months back. Every year they're a tradition on New Year's and Christmas at my parent's house so it's nice to know I can still have them. :)

[mushroom]

I had no idea. Thanks!

[SallyK]

very cool! thanks! i will be looking for these next time i am shopping at a conventional grocery store.

[Kurmudgeon]

Tsk tsk tsk, Nestle!

[pyrsk]

I'm with Kurm on this. Doesn't everyone know that After Eight is vegan, but shouldn't everyone be boycotting Nestlé?

Maybe it's just me..

[Schoska]

I'll confess I didn't know that After Eights were vegan, but then I haven't eaten one for a very long time.
The Nestle thing is hard. I do my best to avoid them but I am torn when questionable companies start producing veg*n products. *sigh*
Does anyone know of any other veg*n non-nestle, after 8 style things?

[Erin_S2S]

I didn't know! I'll have to get some tonight.
Thanks!

[zimngir]

I know we are supposed to boycott Nestle` but what about the vegans that can't afford to buy all Free Trade Cocoa and Chocolate ? I think they are still vegan and we should still support vegan products when big corporations make them available to us. I can't afford to buy free trade chocolate all of the time and I am not always close to a HFS. Shannon

[vegancherrypie]

The only problem with that it, typically companies like Nestle don't realize that people are buying their mints because their vegan, they just think they're buying them because they like the mints' taste, Nestle and their products. I honestly don't believe that Nestle will understand the link, especially since one of the last groups in the world Nestle cares about it probably vegans. All buying those mints will do is gve Nestle more money..not an incentive to make more vegan products.

Cassie

[waywardmelanda]

honestly, if we were all to boycott unethical companies, wouldn't we all be naked, and sitting in empty rooms? i'm pretty sure most of us drive cars, treat illness with medication and own photographs. very rarely is veganism a total absolute.
personally, i'm glad that thin mints are vegan, i cannot always find or afford politically correct candy, and either way nestle probably dosen't care much if a few vegans are upset with them. we aren't they're consumer base.
whenever possible, i prefer to use products that i feel are made by responsible companies, but they are sometimes few and far between.
one huge bit of bad news along the same vein though, nike just bought converse.
ugh, another ethical dilemma....

[Kreeli]

if after eights were neccessary for good health...

or even if they were an integral part of your happiness or sense of wellbeing...

i could probably buy the idea that vegans should get them, even with nestle's despicible practices (especially the pushing of infant formula on the poor people of the world).

but you can't tell me that your desire for some kind of useless, junky mint chocolate candy is more important than the exploitation of other living beings in the world. nonsense, i say. you can live without after eights.

secondly, they don't make after eights for vegans. the fact that they are vegan isn't even an after thought to this company. maybe if they were marketing to vegans, i could even consider buying these things, but they aren't. there is no evidence that they need "support" from the vegan community, nor that buying these will convince nestle to offer more vegan items. that is a weak reason at best.

finally, of course north americans consume too much, of course we can't live completely vegan or completely avoid using products that are marketed or distributed or created by unethical companies. but that is one massive rationalization. when we know a company is responsible for things we dont' agree with, and there are alternatives available, or you won't perish without the product, you should not support them, if you can help it.

[Kreeli]

uh...and before anyone thinks i'm saying i'm *perfect* in this regard (see above post), i'm far from it. i am concious of this, and i try *very* hard to avoid doing it. i know it's wrong. i try to limit it as much as i can.


jeff goldblum in 'the big chill' said:

"rationalizatons are better than sex. you want proof? you ever gone a whole week without a rationalization?"

[waywardmelanda]

ooohhh... is this what is meant by vegan police? well, if any of us were really truly vegan, we'd never even consider eating anything made with refined sugar, or from the same factory where milk products are manufactured. lol.
i'm not trying to win some vegan purity test. i'm finding that living as a vegan is an amazing experience. i'm learning alot along the way, and i'm grateful to these boards for the opportunity to communicate with other vegans, but sometimes the judgemental comments seem counter productive.
kreeli, if you don't consider me (or anyone else) vegan because we eat different candy, thats fine. i'm not hardline nor straightedge, i've never claimed perfection. i'm just trying to enjoy the path i've chosen. my life has changed greatly in the past year (since transitioning from lacto-ovo) it's been wonderful.
:)

[Kreeli]

actually, i wasn't calling your veganism into question. i regularly eat refined sugar. i'm talking about supporting a company like nestle, who's ethics in general are in question. many of my non-vegan friends boycott nestle, and it's not because they are worried about the plight of animals, believe me.

maybe you'd like to re-read my post. it doesn't seem like you really got it?

[waywardmelanda]

actually i consider it one and the same... most of my ethical decisions come from having a vegan ethic.... which extends beyond my dietary choices...
so, perhaps the ethical decision i should be making is if i should even be eating refined sugar, as it may not be vegan .... and avoiding non vegan ingredients may help eliminate conflicts like this one....
:)

[Kreeli]

well, i happen to think that even non-vegans should try to not support a corporation they have ethical or moral quandries with. since ethics and morals are subjective, of course some people will feel differently about this issue. to be clear, that is not conflict. it's difference of opinion.

it's eleven thirty PM here, btw. :)

[waywardmelanda]

:) 2:41 am here, i have some friends over, we're eating tater tots and playing with the kitties.
different opinions are fine...

[pyrsk]

I don't think refined sugar is the issue at all. In Finland all sugar is vegan. So I can eat sugar as much as I like and still be strictly vegan. However, as a person who (sometimes as least) feels for other people, I do not want to support a company that does what Nestlé does. It seems like many of you don't know the facts about Nestlé? Kreeli mentioned it briefly, but here's a link for all of you who're interested. Please read it and then rethink this After Eight issue, OK? :)

Baby Milk Action - The Nestlé Boycott (http://www.babymilkaction.org/pages/boycott.html)

[SallyK]

My sister works for Nestle.

[Vegantastic]

On a dutch vegan forum I saw this link:
http://www.mcspotlight.org/beyond/companies/nestle.html

I don't use any products of them (I think). If a company is selling some vegan products, you can do 2 things. Boycot them or buy much of the product and let them know why you bought those products.

Maybe with large companies only the first will help.

[CharityAJO]

Okay.. Instead of us arguing on these boards whether or not Nestle knows that we're buying After Eights because they're vegan... Why not tell Nestle? I always make a point to comment to a chef when they make a good vegan dish, or write a company about how much I appreciate their product. I'm sure Nestle has one of those comment forms to fill out on their website. In fact, I'll go look now.

And yes, *someone* will read the comment. And heck, even if it never gets back to Mr. Nestle, at least the Comment Handler will say "oh hey, look, there's another vegan."

[zimngir]

I also wrote them and asked for other vegan candies.
I think that it is great and as I have said, not everyone is near HFS and or can afford fair trade cocoa. I think everyone should allow themselves chocolate and I have even made this recipe from Hershey's with a egg replacer. This is one of Mark's fave recipes. http://www.chipits.ca/EN/index.cfm?action=viewRecipe&ID=4415 Shannon

[Azalea]

I'm not good at these kinds of things, I often seem to buy products from companies that are not the kind I'd like to support.
However I still buy free-trade / organic whenver I can (and if the price is not ludicrous). I find people etchics just as important as animal ethics, if not more, sometimes.

[Keegan]

are those the mints they put on your pillow?