I got a response from Stonyfield Farms about the natural flavors in the yogurt. I sent the email before I read your response so I did not specifically ask about the source of the bacteria. This is the email I got:<br><br><br><br><div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Hello Joanne,<br><br><br><br>
Thanks for contacting us! We always welcome comments and questions from<br><br>
our yogurt lovers, and we're grateful when someone takes the time to tell<br><br>
us what they think of our company and products.<br><br><br><br>
To answer your question regarding if the new O'Soy product is vegan,<br><br>
it may not be completely vegan due to the fact that is made in a dairy plant<br><br>
on dairy lines. O'Soy is the first product produced on the line and only<br><br>
after a thorough cleaning of the lines the night before. Though we don't<br><br>
add dairy there is always a possibility of trace amounts in the product,<br><br>
due to the fact that it is made on dairy lines, air borne particles and human<br><br>
error. We test the product for dairy and strive for less than 5 parts<br><br>
per million (0.000005). The industry standard is for less than 10 parts per<br><br>
million.<br><br><br><br>
The natural flavors do not contain any animal product or by-product in<br><br>
them. They are flavorings that are naturally extracted from fruit and<br><br>
flavor compounds. It is considered proprietary information by our fruit<br><br>
manufacturers therefore we cannot be more specific.<br><br><br><br>
We're passionately committed to making the best-tasting, healthiest<br><br>
yogurts available, and trying to do some good in the world while we're at it!<br><br>
Please visit our website at Stonyfield.com to learn more.<br><br><br><br>
Sincerely,<br><br>
Diana Godbout<br><br>
Consumer Relations Coordinator<br><br>
The folks at Stonyfield Farm</div>
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After reading your previous post I did a search on L casei bacteria. You are correct that it can be grown in dairy and is often used in cheese production. It can also be obtained from fermented vegetables and exists naturally in the human body.<br><br><a href="http://genome.jgi-psf.org/draft_microbes/lacca/lacca.home.html" target="_blank">http://genome.jgi-psf.org/draft_micr...acca.home.html</a><br><br><br><br><div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">L. casei are a remarkably adaptive species, and may be isolated from raw and fermented dairy products, fresh and fermented plant products, and the reproductive and intestinal tracts of humans and other animals (Kandler and Weiss, 1986). Industrially, L. casei have application as human probiotics (health-promoting live culture), as acid-producing starter cultures for milk fermentation, and as specialty cultures for the intensification and acceleration of flavor development in certain bacterial-ripened cheese varieties (Fonden et al., 2000; Fox et al., 1998; Kosikowski, 1982).</div>
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The FAQ page at Stonyfield Farms does mention the use of L. casei, but I did not see any information on the FAQ page about its source. I sent the email to Stonyfield before I read about the L casei so I did not ask how the lab that supplies the bacteria for their yogurt obtains and grows the L casei.<br><br><br><br>
It seems to me (but I could be wrong) that if the bacterial cultures were grown in dairy, that the dairy content of the yogurt would be higher than 5 parts per million, especially since the soy yogurt is produced in the same building as dairy products. It would appear that there is no dairy in the bacteria at the time that it is added to the yogurt. This is just my speculation, I could be wrong.<br><br><br><br>
This is starting to sound like one of those controversial grey areas not unlike the vegan sugar/bone char issue. I'm just going to post this information and let everyone decide for themselves whether they want to use this product.<br><br><br><br>
The bottom line: This product is made in a plant that manufactures dairy products and contains a strain of bacteria that may have been originally obtained from and/or cultured in dairy.<br><br><br><br>
If anyone wants to contact the company for more info you can fill out the form on this page:<br><br><a href="http://www.stonyfield.com/Contact/GeneralContact.cfm" target="_blank">http://www.stonyfield.com/Contact/GeneralContact.cfm</a>
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