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Parmesan Cheese Is NOT Vegetarian

post #1 of 21
2/27/12 at 6:21am
Thread Starter 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandsty...-re-vegetarian

Quote:
Anyone familiar with the blank look on a waiter's face when asked if their pesto is vegetarian ("yes, pesto is just basil and pine nuts", "and parmesan?", "oh yes, and parmesan, but that's just cheese") will know that sometimes it is easier to avoid such dishes. Or, where parmesan's presence is not stated on the menu, hastily push any offending shavings to the side of your plate before they start to melt.

As it is, the law states that cheese is only allowed to be labelled Parmigiano Reggiano or parmesan (the widely used French name) if it meets a number of criteria, including being made using calf rennet. It's nothing new; parmesan has had Protected Designation of Origin status since 1996.

Avoid parmesan and inform restaurants that offer it as a vegetarian option.
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post #2 of 21
2/27/12 at 6:26am
I have been saying this for a while.

When new veggies arrive looking for advice on the boards and people say 'cheese is fine' I tell them 'except parmesan'...and it falls on deaf ears *shrug*
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post #3 of 21
2/27/12 at 8:05am

deleted


Edited by Beetlejuice - 6/4/12 at 4:36pm
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post #4 of 21
2/27/12 at 8:12am
Its marked as veggie, but do the ingredients support that.
Ive seen products labelled as veggie and they have shellac,Whey or some other questionabley 'vegetarian' ingredient in them
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post #5 of 21
2/27/12 at 8:20am
deleted

Edited by Beetlejuice - 6/4/12 at 4:36pm
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post #6 of 21
2/27/12 at 8:21am
Oh...thats pretty weird
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post #7 of 21
2/27/12 at 8:27am
vegan parmesan is vegetarian.
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post #8 of 21
2/27/12 at 9:21am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by RabbitLuvr View Post

Hello. This applies in the EU but NOT in the United States. From Wikipedia:

Outside Europe, most notably in the United States, commercially produced imitation cheeses may be legally sold under the generic name Parmesan, although there are substantial differences in terms of quality, taste and nutritional components. When sold in Europe, such cheese are obliged to use another name, such as Kraft's "pamesello italiano".[5]
.


This still doesn't address the fact that many restaurants (both in UK and US) label foods 'vegetarian' when they contain parmesan made with rennet. especially Italian food restaurants and pizza places. Just a heads up to veggies that eat cheese to always double check the source of the parmesan especially if you frequent nicer upscale places that use real parmesan or places that don't realize that many parmesan (and other cheeses) use rennet.
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post #9 of 21
2/27/12 at 10:24am

deleted


Edited by Beetlejuice - 6/4/12 at 4:36pm
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post #10 of 21
2/27/12 at 10:46am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by RabbitLuvr View Post

I was addressing your original post, which specifically talked about Parmesan in relation to European labeling laws, which do not apply in the United States. Some Parmesan available in the US *is* vegetarian, as it contains no rennet, and it's ok to call it Parm because we have different laws here.





Restaurant staff not knowing if the Parm (or other cheeses they serve) contain rennet is a completely different issue.


If you read the linked article in the original post, it also discusses the issue of restaurants serving non vegetarian parmesan cheese in vegetarian dishes. Even suggests leaving an informative card at the restaurants to let them know of their mistakes. So its pretty much the same issue, that many places serve parmesan that is not vegetarian.
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post #11 of 21
2/27/12 at 12:38pm

deleted


Edited by Beetlejuice - 6/4/12 at 4:36pm
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post #12 of 21
2/27/12 at 1:21pm
I'm eating vegan these days so this doesn't actually apply to me anyway, but even when I was l/o vegetarian I didn't get my blood pressure up over the possibility of rennet in my cheese. We've got much larger battles to fight my friends, and I think such intense scrutiny over possible by-products serves only to detract from the overall message. Let's make this look easy, not hard.
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post #13 of 21
2/27/12 at 6:40pm
That sucks I had no idea!
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post #14 of 21
2/28/12 at 4:55am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Digger View Post

I'm eating vegan these days so this doesn't actually apply to me anyway, but even when I was l/o vegetarian I didn't get my blood pressure up over the possibility of rennet in my cheese. We've got much larger battles to fight my friends, and I think such intense scrutiny over possible by-products serves only to detract from the overall message. Let's make this look easy, not hard.


It is easy, just dont eat parmesan cheese
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post #15 of 21
2/28/12 at 4:56am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by RabbitLuvr View Post

Actually, I did read the linked article, though clearly you haven't. The article specifically applies to the UK, and deals with labeling laws that do not necessarily apply outside of the EU.

I guess you could make this thread accurate by changing the title to SOME Parmesan isn't vegetarian, or my having it moved into the UK forum.

I don't understand how people consistently fail to understand that the article they read in a UK publication, which specifically references EU labeling requirements, does not necessarily apply in countries outside of the EU, despite repeated evidence that they're wrong.

I fully understand the labeling applies to the EU. Doesnt mean people shouldnt be made aware to check and ask about cheese being called vegetarian
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post #16 of 21
2/28/12 at 4:59am

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Edited by Beetlejuice - 6/4/12 at 4:37pm
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post #17 of 21
2/28/12 at 5:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Digger View Post

I'm eating vegan these days so this doesn't actually apply to me anyway, but even when I was l/o vegetarian I didn't get my blood pressure up over the possibility of rennet in my cheese.

That's because you are in this for your health which is your business. But, the rest of us who care about animals first and foremost, are actually seriously disturbed by the presence of the inner mucosa of the fourth stomach chamber (the abomasum) of slaughtered young, unweaned calves in our food.
m8itcanw8.com
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m8itcanw8.com
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post #18 of 21
2/29/12 at 5:14am
Thread Starter 
Its my way of getting more people to avoid cheese, no one should eat it. Yes its a scare tactic.
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post #19 of 21
2/29/12 at 6:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by RabbitLuvr View Post

So it means SOME parmesan IS vegetarian.




Your title specifically states that Parmesan isn't vegetarian, and your op specifically states to avoid parm, which are not accurate. Your op also specifically mentions EU labelling that does not apply outside of the EU. Whether or not Parmesan is vegetarian, which I was trying to point out by mentioning parmesan that specifically IS vegetarian in my first post, is a completely separate issue from restaurants not knowing if their assorted cheeses are vegetarian or not.

Again, if you moved this thread into the UK forum, then yes, it would be accurate. But people should be informed that the blanket statement "Parmesan is not vegetarian" IS NOT ACCURATE.

It is not necessary for all issues that pertain to the UK to be in that forum. After all, all areas of the board are flooded with strictly US issues. This thread is still useful to non-UK people. Most (or a lot) of parmesan in the US is also made with calf rennet, so luvyourmother's call to be concerned still applies, even if the article explicitly only addresses EU standards. After all, I think some of the parmesan I see at the stores is imported from Italy, which would mean it probably is subject to these requirements.
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post #20 of 21
2/29/12 at 8:02am
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Edited by Beetlejuice - 6/4/12 at 4:37pm
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post #21 of 21
2/29/12 at 8:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nishani View Post

That's because you are in this for your health which is your business.

This is true and I don't wish to argue the point, but it sometimes depresses me that on this forum it is often assumed that if you are vegetarian primarily for health reasons that you can't also care about animals. Even if my motives were primarily ethical, from a broad standpoint I would not see the need to fret over trace ingredients if doing so has the potential to discourage others from adopting a vegetarian diet. This is the one and only point that I actually agree with PETA on. I'd love to see people eating less meat period rather than worry so much over by-products. Don't take this the wrong way though, I applaud anyone who strives for purity. I just don't think it necessarily saves more animals on the whole.
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