VNN Editorial - Meat Disguised Under Flavors

EDITORIAL November 26, 2003 VNN8462 About the Author

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Meat Disguised Under Flavors

BY MAHAVEGAVATI DASI

EDITORIAL, Nov 26 (VNN) — Dear VNN Readers,

Hare Krsna. All glories to Srila Prabhupada, to our Guru Varga, and to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Lord Nityananda, Sri Sri Radha and Krsna. Please accept my fallen obeisances.

For the consideration/information of the Vaisnavas and other vegetarian readers:

Being a strict vegetarian is not always so easy in Western society. The consuming of meat is so permeated into our culture (especially that of America, maybe Canada, and I don't know to what extent in the various countries in Europe, etc.), that it appears in so many places, INCLUDING places where it is "disguised" or hidden despite the written ingredients. Thus, please be aware when you make bhoga purchases that a lot of times although certain products DO contain meat, it is NOT always listed "visibly" in the ingredients in a way that can be descerned. So please BE CAREFUL and AWARE when you read the ingredients; you may want to check into the various products that you buy which MIGHT be questionable.

I was sent some information and I would like to share it with you. I have modified it for presentation purposes:

According to the FDA laws (in America), it is LEGAL to NOT list meat visibly as part of the contents, and it is thus INVISIBLY listed when the company "invisibly lists" it under the word "flavors;" either "artificial flavors," "natural flavors," or (just) "flavors."

One company's consumer representative whose company uses meat in its products (but hides it through the use of the word, "flavors," when called on the telephone), admitted that there was meat in the product. (From that beginning, a further check with other companies was made.)

Being asked why meat wasn't listed in the ingredients, the representative explained that many times meat is (invisibly) listed under the headings "natural flavors," "artificial flavors," or "flavors." (An artificial flavor generally still has natural products in it, as usually only a certain percentage of it is artificial). When asked how it was possible for the company to hide such information, the representative explained that it was completely legal in accordance with FDA regulations, and in checking with the FDA and other sources, it was found that it is legal. As long as the meat product being masked under "flavors" (be it "natural flavors" "flavors" or "artifical flavors") is not a common allergen, the company does not have to disclose that meat is contained in the food item.

Calling more of the leading food companies, the same information was found, and a great majority of these companies - including Lipton, Prego, and Campbell's (the parent company of Prego), have meat products under their term "flavors." Most of the companies responded with indifference to the fact that millions of American consumers were being mislead on a daily basis about their products, as long as they followed FDA guidelines. Some other companies, (like Kraft), replied that they do not even keep track of what is in their "flavors" because they change them so often.

So again, please BE CAREFUL and AWARE when you read the ingredients; you may want to make a check into the various products that you have been accustomed to buy which MIGHT be questionable.

Your servant,

Mahavegavati Dasi
Hare Krsna

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