Bad news for veggie chocoholics!

[Dobby]

just heard on the news that Mars have had to chainge they mind and they are going to return to the oraiganal
vegiterian choc so did we win this fight?
or are they still going to put the price up or make them smaller again

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6673549.stm

[muckdiva]

Heard that as welll Dobby, people power or part of a master plan?

[TonyF]

Just seen it on tv as well so it must be true.

Green and Black's was bought out as couple of years ago by one of the conglomerates I think, didn't bring their prices down tho.

I no longer buy UK chocs, well the occassional Mars Bar. Living here I go to one of the local artisan chocolatiers if I want a choccy fix, they are a bit pricey but to die for.

[Earthbabe]

And a lot easier to get hold of too Tony. I remember the bakery/patisserie in the village my parents used to live in stocking proper hand made chocs all year round. Bliss

[Flummery]

Cynically, I wonder if it's like the salad cream thing of a few years back. They said they were taking it off the market and there was a huge furore. Sales went up. They did it on purpose. This might be the same - stir people up and get free advertising. I agree with Paulottie's signature line about advertising. Apologies to anyone in the advertising line!

[smallblueplanet]

Its not quite the same type of spin is it though? Afterall in todays modern world most folk are cynical towards what 'others' say and so maybe they won't belive the company have switched back, but are just saying they are so they don't lose customers!

Me I believe 'em but I don't eat them, but very, very rarely anyway.

[pigletwillie]

Just for information.

To get milk, cows have to calf. The female cows are kept in the main for aditional stock or to replace those cows whose yields have started to drop. The bulls are of no use generally as the breed is primarilly a milk producing one not a beef producing one so is not cost effective given the meat yield copmpared to a proper beef bull.

As the bulls are therefore surplus they are slaughtered at a very young age and disposed of. Rennet may be harvested from the carcass as may some hides and offal.

If you are a milk drinker, vegetarian or not, your consumption of milk drives the annual surplus of dairy bulls which are slaughtered. They are not killed for rennet, they are killed because they are surplus to requirements. The recipe for Masterfoods chocolate be it vegetarian or not makes no difference to their fate.

The vegetarian recipe doesnt make it the paragon of virtue that vegetarians thought it was does it.

Whether you eat vegetarian chocolate or not makes absolutely no difference to the calves fate, they are killed anyway.

[smallblueplanet]

You post that as if no veggies know those facts. I'm a veggie not a vegan or a jain. I'm aware of how milk is produced. Perhaps if you spelt out to some meat-eaters how meat is produced there might be a few turned stomachs there?

Some veggies eat fish, some wear leather shoes.....you draw your own line. I still wouldn't fancy animal rennet in my chocolate, you may have mine.

[pigletwillie]

Taken from the vegetarian society website

"Vegetarian rennet is produced by genetically engineered micro-organisms. The genetic material (DNA) which encodes for chymosin is introduced into a micro-organism which can then be cultured to produce commercial quantities of chymosin. This is done by extracting genetic material from calf stomach cells which acts as a template for producing the chymosin encoding DNA. This can then be introduced into the micro-organism. Once the genetic material is introduced there is no further need for calf cells. Alternatively, the chymosin encoding DNA can be bio-synthesised in the laboratory without the use of calf cells."

And I dont want GM foods in mine!!!!!!!!

[pigletwillie]

Oh, this is from their site as well

"There is no legal requirement for manufacturers to state whether a genetically engineered rennet has been used in food making process."

[Hazel at the Hill]

That's both of you off choclate then!

[smallblueplanet]

.....
And I dont want GM foods in mine!!!!!!!!

Your choice, I imagine there are other products you buy with GM in them though. Lots of maize & soya procucts are GM, its not straightforward.

You seem to think that yours is the right way, well guess what I don't agree. I guess you won't be eating Mars bars and I won't be eating meat or fish.

[pigletwillie]

I am not stating at all mine is the right way SBP, we all have choices and beliefs.

I would sooner eat natural rennet than GM, You would sooner eat GM than natural.

Is GM organic?

[smallblueplanet]

No I didn't say that - and as you quote there isn't an easy way to tell if veggie rennet is GM, cos it isn't all.

I'd rather eat non-GM veggie rennet.

Why not post some of the dreadful things that happen to animals and fish when they're factory farmed for your dinner table? Or don't you care how you get your meat & BSE burgers?

[pigletwillie]

I dont eat crappy meat SBP, I choose to eat meat and we buy local farmed meat and the butcher can tell us what its id tag number was. It is not factory farmed, but that is my choice. If somebody wants to eat scrotum burgers , well on their concience be it.

I dont have double standards and find it quite amusing that some people wont eat animal renet but are prepared to drink milk, or wear leather shoes but not eat beef. However that again is an individuals choice.

My original point was to highlight the fact that animals are not killed to make rennnet, the rennet is harvested because they are killed as a by product of drinking milk.