Fake meats and fish served in vegetarian restaurants may not be kosher.

[Guest guest]

I have been notified that some/many fake meats and fish served in vegetarian

restaurants are not vegan or even vegetarian.

 

 

Many of our fake meats come from Taiwan

 

See below.

Faked vegetarian foods

 

From the China Post.

Our Bureau of Investigation has found that at least half of the processed foods

advertised as 100 percent vegetarian that they inspected contained meat.

Altogether 31 vegetarian food retailers were inspected. Residues of meat were

found in the products on the shelves of 17 of them. DNA tests showed pork and

beef were mixed in their vegetarian patties, ham, chicken and shredded pork.

 

Such foods are invented by ingenious processors who knead soybean powder and

flour and shape them into something that looks like cooked ham, chicken or

shredded pork to cater to an increasingly large vegetarian clientele. Some

suppliers add beef or pork to their products to make them smell and taste like

real meat. These taste-like-meat vegetarian foods are enjoying very brisk sales.

 

http://www.quarrygirl.com/2009/06/28/undercover-investigation-of-la-area-vegan-r\

estaurants/#more-3351

 

The upshot is that most if not all fake meats are manufactured in Taiwan, where

up until 3 days ago, they had very lax truth in labeling laws. Here's a synopsis

of what appears to be the root of the problem:

 

* In the Taiwanese and Chinese market [where most of these products are made

and sold] vegetarian customers are only concerned with meat ingredients and not

bothered at all if egg or milk ingredients are included [this is due to

religious reasons in many cases, typically to accommodate Buddhists, who are

often not vegan]

* Sometimes the ingredient listings are not 100% inclusive of what's in the

product [we asked what things are usually added but not labeled]

* Sometimes eggs, fish flakes and milk might be added but not on the label,

and [manufacturers] never include ingredients of all the additives – there would

be too many

* The veggie meats are re-labeled for the western market, usually by a

non-English speaker who is translating the bulk ingredients list manifest, so

there are many occasions where the translations were not correct. Also, the

labels are small in size, and rarely have enough room for all ingredients.

* If the ingredients change due to cost or availability the list manifest

isn't always updated, and [manufacturers] only revise [their] translated labels

when [they] introduce new products

* Most of the time, the " veggie meat " products contain egg albumen because

the isolated soy protein base [manufacturers] purchase comes that way from the

manufacturer

* There are few labeling regulations in Taiwan and they are rarely, if ever,

enforced. [Manufacturers] usually list the ingredients [they] put into food

directly, but if if [they're] using something from a third party [they] don't

always list the ingredients in that. It's just not important in Taiwan.

[Guest guest]

most people know that if the product is not listed Kosher, it's not Kosher.

 

It costs more to be certified as Kosher. Go to Shangrila and see if you want to

see their Kosher certification.

 

I think Shangrila is the only Veg Kosher certified restaurant in the Bay Area.

 

New York residences are more picky on Kosher foods than Bay Area folks.

==

I read some Chinese. The labels, they sometimes leave out ingrediants such as

artificial coloring and perservatives. How, convenient.

 

At times it's easy to tell if something has artificial coloring. Look a the

preserved mango and yams, they are bright orange in color.

 

, " rojony57 " <rojony57 wrote:

>

> I have been notified that some/many fake meats and fish served in vegetarian

restaurants are not vegan or even vegetarian.

>

>

> Many of our fake meats come from Taiwan

>

> See below.

> Faked vegetarian foods

>

> From the China Post.

> Our Bureau of Investigation has found that at least half of the processed

foods advertised as 100 percent vegetarian that they inspected contained meat.

Altogether 31 vegetarian food retailers were inspected. Residues of meat were

found in the products on the shelves of 17 of them. DNA tests showed pork and

beef were mixed in their vegetarian patties, ham, chicken and shredded pork.

>

> Such foods are invented by ingenious processors who knead soybean powder and

flour and shape them into something that looks like cooked ham, chicken or

shredded pork to cater to an increasingly large vegetarian clientele. Some

suppliers add beef or pork to their products to make them smell and taste like

real meat. These taste-like-meat vegetarian foods are enjoying very brisk sales.

>

>

http://www.quarrygirl.com/2009/06/28/undercover-investigation-of-la-area-vegan-r\

estaurants/#more-3351

>

> The upshot is that most if not all fake meats are manufactured in Taiwan,

where up until 3 days ago, they had very lax truth in labeling laws. Here's a

synopsis of what appears to be the root of the problem:

>

> * In the Taiwanese and Chinese market [where most of these products are

made and sold] vegetarian customers are only concerned with meat ingredients and

not bothered at all if egg or milk ingredients are included [this is due to

religious reasons in many cases, typically to accommodate Buddhists, who are

often not vegan]

> * Sometimes the ingredient listings are not 100% inclusive of what's in

the product [we asked what things are usually added but not labeled]

> * Sometimes eggs, fish flakes and milk might be added but not on the

label, and [manufacturers] never include ingredients of all the additives –

there would be too many

> * The veggie meats are re-labeled for the western market, usually by a

non-English speaker who is translating the bulk ingredients list manifest, so

there are many occasions where the translations were not correct. Also, the

labels are small in size, and rarely have enough room for all ingredients.

> * If the ingredients change due to cost or availability the list manifest

isn't always updated, and [manufacturers] only revise [their] translated labels

when [they] introduce new products

> * Most of the time, the " veggie meat " products contain egg albumen because

the isolated soy protein base [manufacturers] purchase comes that way from the

manufacturer

> * There are few labeling regulations in Taiwan and they are rarely, if

ever, enforced. [Manufacturers] usually list the ingredients [they] put into

food directly, but if if [they're] using something from a third party [they]

don't always list the ingredients in that. It's just not important in Taiwan.

>

[Guest guest]

general rule i think is simply to avoid any kind of processed food.

 

phil

 

philip gelb

phil

http://philipgelb.com

http://myspace.com/inthemoodforfood

http://myspace.com/philipgelb

 

On Aug 11, 2009, at 2:25 AM, rojony57 wrote:

 

> I have been notified that some/many fake meats and fish served in

> vegetarian restaurants are not vegan or even vegetarian.

>

> Many of our fake meats come from Taiwan

>

> See below.

> Faked vegetarian foods

>

> From the China Post.

> Our Bureau of Investigation has found that at least half of the

> processed foods advertised as 100 percent vegetarian that they

> inspected contained meat. Altogether 31 vegetarian food retailers

> were inspected. Residues of meat were found in the products on the

> shelves of 17 of them. DNA tests showed pork and beef were mixed in

> their vegetarian patties, ham, chicken and shredded pork.

>

> Such foods are invented by ingenious processors who knead soybean

> powder and flour and shape them into something that looks like

> cooked ham, chicken or shredded pork to cater to an increasingly

> large vegetarian clientele. Some suppliers add beef or pork to their

> products to make them smell and taste like real meat. These taste-

> like-meat vegetarian foods are enjoying very brisk sales.

>

>

http://www.quarrygirl.com/2009/06/28/undercover-investigation-of-la-area-vegan-r\

estaurants/#more-3351

>

> The upshot is that most if not all fake meats are manufactured in

> Taiwan, where up until 3 days ago, they had very lax truth in

> labeling laws. Here's a synopsis of what appears to be the root of

> the problem:

>

> * In the Taiwanese and Chinese market [where most of these products

> are made and sold] vegetarian customers are only concerned with meat

> ingredients and not bothered at all if egg or milk ingredients are

> included [this is due to religious reasons in many cases, typically

> to accommodate Buddhists, who are often not vegan]

> * Sometimes the ingredient listings are not 100% inclusive of what's

> in the product [we asked what things are usually added but not

> labeled]

> * Sometimes eggs, fish flakes and milk might be added but not on the

> label, and [manufacturers] never include ingredients of all the

> additives – there would be too many

> * The veggie meats are re-labeled for the western market, usually by

> a non-English speaker who is translating the bulk ingredients list

> manifest, so there are many occasions where the translations were

> not correct. Also, the labels are small in size, and rarely have

> enough room for all ingredients.

> * If the ingredients change due to cost or availability the list

> manifest isn't always updated, and [manufacturers] only revise

> [their] translated labels when [they] introduce new products

> * Most of the time, the " veggie meat " products contain egg albumen

> because the isolated soy protein base [manufacturers] purchase comes

> that way from the manufacturer

> * There are few labeling regulations in Taiwan and they are rarely,

> if ever, enforced. [Manufacturers] usually list the ingredients

> [they] put into food directly, but if if [they're] using something

> from a third party [they] don't always list the ingredients in that.

> It's just not important in Taiwan.

>

>

>