about food outside

[Guest guest]

from www.kuruvinda.com

 

This information is primarily meant for western Krishna devotees and other

religious vegetarians who sometimes eat in fast food establishments. It is

not meant to question the reasons why they do this, but to offer some

perspective and certainty about the content of fast food products and the

information given by local personnel and management.

 

Here are a couple of general guidelines to bear in mind when visiting fast

food establishments:

The people behind the counters and in the kitchens usually do not know

anything substantial about the ingredients or source of their products.

Sadly, neither do the local managers. When asked about these things they may

lie straight in your face just to get off the topic. Usually they will be

more helpful, though, and even go as far as to check the food packaging for

ingredient listings or call the main office for information. This, however,

is not a common practice.

 

Don't trust hearsay. Even if others tell you that certain products are ok,

check them yourself. Don't go for the idea that because "so many devotees

eat it" or "devotees say it's ok" it must therefore be ok. In this way you

may become the victim of a whole group of badly informed devotees who

unknowingly eat food that contains meat or meat-derived products.

 

Mono- and diglycerides, and L-cysteine, two common additives found in

virtually all bread sold in the U.S.A., should be considered

animal/human-derived unless specified otherwise. Safe for a selected few,

all fast food and quick service chains use bread with the possibly

non-vegetarian varieties of these additives.

 

Most U.S.A. cheeses are made with enzymes instead of rennet. This does not

mean that they are therefore ok. Many of these enzymes are still

animal-derived, even when specifically mentioned to be microbial or fungal.

Three fungal enzymes produced by fermentation that go by various trade names

are used in cheese making. Mucor Pusillus rennet contains a microbial

protease obtained from the controlled fermentation of a fungus, Mucor

pusillus var. Iindt. Mucor Miehi rennet contains a microbial protease

obtained from the controlled fermentation of a fungus, Mucor miehei.

Endothia Cryphonectria rennet (formerly known as Enthothia parasitica)

contains a thermal labile microbial protease used in Swiss and Italian-type

cheeses that is obtained from Endothia cryphonectria. The main enzyme from

rennet used in cheese making is chymosin. Recent genetic engineering

techniques have made it possible to produce chymosin from microbial sources.

Scientists have isolated the gene responsible for chymosin production from

calves' stomachs and incorporated them into suitable microorganisms to

produce a convenient production organism. The first microbial chymosin was

affirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) by the Food and Drug

Administration in 1989. The organisms currently approved for the production

of chymosin include the bacteria E. coli, the yeast Klyveromyces marxianus

var. Iactis and the fungus Aspergillus niger var. awamori. Industry

estimates are that approximately half of the chymosin used is currently

produced by this method. The chymosin produced by these organisms is

identical in structure to that produced by the calf stomach and provides the

same performance as pure calf rennet in terms of enzymatic activity, usage

and storage. However, they may contain trace amounts of non-enzymatic

proteins from the host organism. Lipase enzymes are utilized by the dairy

industry to develop characteristic cheese flavors, especially in Italian

cheese types or other varieties with strong flavor profiles. The chief

lipases for commercial use in the dairy industry include those from animal

sources (primarily calf, kid and lamb) as well as a microbial

esterase-lipase derived from a fermentation process with Mucor miehei. The

animal lipases are produced from the pregastric glandular material of the

animal. These enzymes are also used in the preparation of enzyme-modified

cheeses (EMC) and butters, which are used as flavor ingredients. In this

case, the finished cheese products are made into a slurry and then treated

with lipase, along with proteases and peptidases for flavor development.

According to their manufacturers the following cheese brands do not contain

rennet or any other nonvegetarian enzymes:

 

 

Cabot: All cheeses

Food Lion: Parmesan

Frigo: Mozzarella

Giant: Cheese made by Pauly, County Line Old World Swiss, Colby, Monterey

Jack, Cream Cheese, Natural Swiss slices, Natural Muenster slices, Biery

cheese, Chunk Cheese, New York Sharp, Wisconsin Cheddar, Longhorn, Swiss,

Danish Havarti, Pepper Jack

Kraft: Natural Swiss, Cream cheeses, Grated Parmesan

McCadam: All cheeses

Mid American Farms: Parmesan, Mozzarella, Cheddar

Organic Valley: All dairy products

Polly-O: All cheeses

Saputo cheeses: Low fat cheeses contain Vitamin A Palmitate (derived from

fish oil), Baby Swiss, Cheddar, Gorgonzola, Lorraine, Mozzarella, Ricotta,

String cheese, Swiss

Sargento: Pepper, Muenster, Cheddar

Stella: Mozzarella, Provolone, Parmesan, Ricotta, String cheese

Super Brand (Winn Dixie): Cream cheese, Cottage cheese, Creamed butter

Tree of Life: All dairy products

For a full and up-to-date list, visit the National Vegetarian Cheese List.

 

 

Monosodium glutamate (MSG, Ve-Tsin) is an additive mostly found in Chinese,

Japanese, and Indonesian foods. This additive may cause physical problems

when taken in large quantities or by sensitive people. Some of the less

severe symptoms are headache, burning sensation in the stomach, and rapid

heart beat (Chinese Restaurant Syndrome). More long term and severe symptoms

can range from learning impairment and endocrine disorders to glaucoma and

macular degeneration. People with MSG sensitivity, intolerance, or allergy

can die from MSG ingestion. MSG is also sprayed on crops to stimulate

growth. Manufacturers do not have to mention MSG on their labels if it is

present in other listed ingredients. Unfortunately, the names of most other

MSG-containing ingredients won't give consumers even a clue to the fact that

the ingredients contain MSG. "Mono potassium glutamate,autolyzed yeast,"

"hydrolyzed soy protein," and "sodium caseinate," are examples of

ingredients that always contain MSG. Under certain circumstances, hydrolyzed

protein products may be used as ingredients in other products without even

mentioning the original hydrolyzed protein products. For example,

"hydrolyzed soy protein," when used in "flavoring(s),natural

flavoring(s)," and "natural flavor(s)," does not have to be mentioned on

product labels when the food processor claims that the hydrolyzed protein is

being used for purposes other than flavoring. Many products will even have

"No MSG added" or a similar message on their labels although they do contain

products with MSG. False and misleading labels are illegal. It is

appropriate to ask your grocer not to carry these products, and to report

them to your local FDA office as well as to the Consumer Fraud Division of

your State Attorney General.

These are food label descriptors that contain enough MSG to serve as common

MSG-reaction triggers and always contain MSG:

 

 

Autolyzed yeast

 

Calcium caseinate

 

Gelatin

 

Glutamate

 

Glutamic acid

 

Hydrolyzed protein (any type)

 

Monosodium glutamate

 

Monopotassium glutamate

 

Sodium caseinate

 

Textured protein

 

Yeast nutrient

 

Yeast extract

 

Yeast food

 

These very often contain MSG:

 

 

Anything Protein fortified

 

Anything Enzyme modified

 

Barley malt

 

Carrageenan

 

Flavor(s) and Flavoring(s)

 

Malt extract

 

Malt flavoring

 

Maltodextrin

 

Natural flavor(s) and flavoring(s)

 

Pectin

 

Seasonings (the word "seasonings")

 

Soy sauce

 

Soy sauce extract

 

Soy protein

 

Soy protein concentrate

 

Soy protein isolate

 

Whey protein

 

Whey protein concentrate

 

Whey protein isolate

You should be aware that many food additives are, or can be, of animal

origin, and that many are harmful to children. You can find detailed

information about food additives here.