UK petition to get veg*n labelling on alcohol

[derwenna]

E-petition anyone?

"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Amend existing Food Labelling Regulations to incorporate a legal requirement for the labelling of all alchoholic drinks to include a symbol(s) and/or text to indicate the suitability or otherwise of the product for vegetarians, vegans and other affected consumers."

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/drinks-labelling/

[Jon_Veggie]

Great idea! Still quite a grey area really.

[Tablaqueen]

Yes very good idea for a petition! :hamster:

[singing hinnie]

Hope you don't mind me pinching your link for another sight.

Thanks :wayne:

[IamJen]

Great idea. We always have to come back and Google before buying something. Sometimes, I risk it, knowing that I can return the item, but that's meh. I've been meaning to print out a little sheet to carry round. We don't buy alcohol very often, but it would be nice to know our choices when we do.

Would it be better off sending this to FSA or some agency, though?

[Kiz]

I like the way Australia handles this. Instead of writing "vegan" or "vegetarian" on the bottle the law now requires new bottles of wine to carry what they are fined with on the label. eg: "Contains sulphites. Produced with the aid of egg and milk products and traces may remain" or "Produced with the aid of fish products and traces may remain" etc. Anything that is not grapes or oak and is either an ingredient or has been used in the production of the wine must be listed on the bottle. This is a government regulation and must be followed. This regulation came into being a few years back now.

[Blobbenstein]

I think the problem with this is that, to make a law forcing food manufacturers(drinks is classed as a food, I think) to put a veg*n label on their products, you would need a legal definition for vegetarian and vegan, and as I remember MrFalafel saying that a lot of people don't want this, as it will put food(generally) manufacturers off putting these labels on their products for fear of litigation, and may mean that food manufacturers loose interest in catering to veg*ns generally.

It would be better to force manufacturers to list certain ingredients, a list that could be incorporated into the law, maybe just for wine and alcoholic drinks, as Kiz mentioned.

[IamJen]

Manufacturers in the UK put "suitable for vegetarians" and "suitable for vegans" on their products very very often. I don't see how alcohol mfr's would have a harder time.

[Duke Nukem]

Signed :up:

I've noticed that currently the only drinks that usually get labeled are also the ones that are the premium organic brands.


I don't see how alcohol mfr's would have a harder time

I think I read somewhere that, for example, things that might make some beers/ciders non-veg* may only be added only if a particular batch requires it (for example if it were initially too cloudy), which I guess would complicate the labeling.

At the weekend I came across a labeling that I don't recall seeing before - there was a label indicating _not_ suitable for vegetarians. Most helpful in that it meant I didn't have to waste time interpreting the ingredients list - shame that being a senile old [bleep] I've forgotten what the product was now:(

[Pirate Ferret]

At the weekend I came across a labeling that I don't recall seeing before - there was a label indicating _not_ suitable for vegetarians. Most helpful in that it meant I didn't have to waste time interpreting the ingredients list - shame that being a senile old [bleep] I've forgotten what the product was now:(


Cheese Doritos and that fishy omega 3 bread is what i've seen that written on!

[go_vegan]

Great idea about the petition,

the only place I know of that labels it's own alcohol vegan or not is co-op.

In the meantime this website should help

http://www.isitvegan.info/

there are two further pages to go to marked as "click here".
The one at the end , just above the 'make a dontation' button , you can check if something is vegan or not inc alcohol.

[Badger_Lady]

At the weekend I came across a labeling that I don't recall seeing before - there was a label indicating _not_ suitable for vegetarians. Most helpful in that it meant I didn't have to waste time interpreting the ingredients list - shame that being a senile old [bleep] I've forgotten what the product was now:(

I saw it on those Muller "Lasting Satisfaction" yoghurts last year. Who puts cochineal in a yoghurt??? I'd just bought it out of a vending machine so, although relieved to have the fact spelled out, was more than a bit miffed...

Definitely agree with this petition - if we can manage it for other food substances, why should alcohol be exempt?

I can understand the issue where they change their processes - surely they will just have to list everything that might be done. And, if some of those occasional processes will make them non-veggie, then the pressure's on to find a veggie method :)

[IamJen]

Co-op labels its stuff suitable for vegans, not just vegetarians? I don't shop there hardly ever, as the local one's been closed for renovation for over two years! (opening this summer hopefully)

DN, I never thought about the "batch" variations...that would be a pain. Now if they just eliminated the animal processes altogether... :)

[Natural_Jan]

Just signed. :)

[derwenna]

Yeah, Co-op label vegan alcohol, and list the ingredients and what it's been filtered with. So if it says 'suitable for vegetarians' it's probably been filtered with egg and not suitable for vegans, look for 'suitable for vegetarians and vegans'.