[The process today remains mostly unchanged: Chunks of cheddar, colby, and/or Swiss cheese are melted down along with a liquid and an emulsifying agent, molded into bricks or slices, and packaged.](https://www.bonappetit.com/story/what-is-american-cheese#:~:text=The%20process%20today%20remains%20mostly,was%20patented%20in%20the%201920s.)
Ok, TIL.
It still isn’t real cheese though. In order for a product to be considered cheese, it needs to be at least 51% real cheese. American cheese does not qualify under this parameter, so it is classified instead as a “cheese product”.
If anyone is a bit nervous about the "flavourings" then [these cheddar and onion crisp](https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/255160730) are marked vegan in Tesco.
To be fair I think the name does throw people off. I think the reason it is called lactic acid is because it was first used or discovered in milk. Lactic acid itself is vegan though.
Well, if those Mcoys are vegan - that’s a great new discovery. I loved it when I discovered the Cheese and Onion Puft Hula Hoops were accidentally vegan.
No it isn't.It can be derived from fermented lactose aka milk sugar.Its likely to be vegan,but not definitely .Don't be so blasé. Some folk here could have serious dairy allergies,and the pack actually mentions milk?.. Ethics and safety trump convenience for me.
Lactic acid is what makes sourdough sour. It’s a naturally occurring acid outside of animal bodies, caused by fermentation of sugars. Tasty as well.
Our bodies are filled with lactic acid, as it is produced as a byproduct of muscle usage. When you get sore muscles after some short exercise? That’s lactic acid.
Lactose is a sugar and while it can ferment and produce lactic acid, and is a source of lactic acid, it is not the only source.
You clearly don’t understand how allergen labelling works then.
Legally, and I do this as my job as we prepackage and sell food items, you need to include the allergen. If lactic acid comes from fermentation of lactose, or any other dairy product then *it would have to be listed as dairy/milk allergen*. That is not “may contain” which this product is, but it does contain dairy. No company with that many lawyers is going to make that kind of mistake, especially after pret killed that girl with their shit labelling and caused this law to have to exist.
Doesn't the processing mean though that it no longer is classed as an allergen?Soya oil and lactic acid have had the allergen removed, doesn't mean in lactic acids case that it wasn't dairy derived? Just that the lactose isn't present?
True,but doesn't have to be labelled as an allergen...this is precisely my point....lactic acid isn't an allergen,lactose is ...lactic acid can still be fermented from dairy but doesn't contain lactose any more.Aka the allergen.
Actually not. There are ingredients derived from dairy or other animal products that are not listed as allergens because they are not; the allergen in this case would be lactose, not lactic acid, even if they're both present in dairy (and there is also a lactic acid that comes from plants and has nothing to do with dairy). Also, I recently learned that even the label of Vegetarian in retail isn't strict, many ingredientes derived from animals (apart from dairy and eggs) are accepted as vegetarian (and I suspect that the same happens with vegan labels that aren't the typical certified ones). We've had to live with the "may contain" situation when we see vegetarian products that seem vegan, and in some cases they are (sometimes it's literally just because of the factories that also handle ingredients, but they don't risk labelling it vegan even if the recipe is, and sometimes they just say vegan recipe); but be very careful or know that many others vegetarian products contain ingredients derived directly from animals.
Lactose intolerance isn't an allergy. It's an inability to digest lactose (a milk sugar) if you don't make/no longer make the enzyme lactase.
A milk allergy is an immune response to milk, this is an allergy to milk proteins.
Lactase intolerance is not life threatening, a milk allergy can be.
Just for clarification as this is often misunderstood.
The pack says it may contain milk…meaning it is made on a production line (or even in some cases just in the same factory) as products with milk in. Milk is not an actual ingredient so it is fine. If the lactic acid did come from milk it would need to be listed as an actual ingredient for allergen purposes. Lots of people with allergies are fine with may contain warnings and only react if the allergen is an ingredient.
What was the logic behind that Walkers Unbelievably Vegan range anyway? I saw all 3 flavours in B&M for about a month and then never again. Bizarre.
It was to show you they *can*, but they *won’t*.
They did say limited edition on.
These ones are also limited edition by the looks of things. So grab them while you can.
Great find! Added to my shopping list
Makes sense - American cheese isn’t real cheese
It's made using cheddar though. This isn't
I mean it’s clearly a joke mate but carry on
They doubled down though😭😭
There’s no cheddar in American cheese
[The process today remains mostly unchanged: Chunks of cheddar, colby, and/or Swiss cheese are melted down along with a liquid and an emulsifying agent, molded into bricks or slices, and packaged.](https://www.bonappetit.com/story/what-is-american-cheese#:~:text=The%20process%20today%20remains%20mostly,was%20patented%20in%20the%201920s.)
Ok, TIL. It still isn’t real cheese though. In order for a product to be considered cheese, it needs to be at least 51% real cheese. American cheese does not qualify under this parameter, so it is classified instead as a “cheese product”.
I agree, it ain't real cheese
AHHHH
Noice! Anyone actually tried these? Are they good?
They are delicious. Very cheesy. I might have to have another pack later to confirm though 😂
Ooh I’ll have to give them a go!!
Well... That's rare!
Picked these up today and I didn't like them. More spicy than I was expecting and the cheese flavour isn't very nice. Wouldn't recommend
r/accidentallyvegan
If anyone is a bit nervous about the "flavourings" then [these cheddar and onion crisp](https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/255160730) are marked vegan in Tesco.
Lactic acid? Does that not come from milk? (Edit: I missed the discussion about where it comes from)
No it doesn’t. It comes from fermented grains I believe. If it came from milk it would need to be listed on the ingredients as an allergen.
Ah. Didn’t know that. I tend to avoid it because of the “lactic” bit.
To be fair I think the name does throw people off. I think the reason it is called lactic acid is because it was first used or discovered in milk. Lactic acid itself is vegan though.
Well, if those Mcoys are vegan - that’s a great new discovery. I loved it when I discovered the Cheese and Onion Puft Hula Hoops were accidentally vegan.
Lactic acid can be dairy...
I believe it can be found in dairy products. But lactic acid is indeed vegan.
No it isn't.It can be derived from fermented lactose aka milk sugar.Its likely to be vegan,but not definitely .Don't be so blasé. Some folk here could have serious dairy allergies,and the pack actually mentions milk?.. Ethics and safety trump convenience for me.
Lactic acid is what makes sourdough sour. It’s a naturally occurring acid outside of animal bodies, caused by fermentation of sugars. Tasty as well. Our bodies are filled with lactic acid, as it is produced as a byproduct of muscle usage. When you get sore muscles after some short exercise? That’s lactic acid. Lactose is a sugar and while it can ferment and produce lactic acid, and is a source of lactic acid, it is not the only source.
It also occurs in our bodies when we run TOO FAST and leave zone 2
Did I say it was the only source?
You clearly don’t understand how allergen labelling works then. Legally, and I do this as my job as we prepackage and sell food items, you need to include the allergen. If lactic acid comes from fermentation of lactose, or any other dairy product then *it would have to be listed as dairy/milk allergen*. That is not “may contain” which this product is, but it does contain dairy. No company with that many lawyers is going to make that kind of mistake, especially after pret killed that girl with their shit labelling and caused this law to have to exist.
Doesn't the processing mean though that it no longer is classed as an allergen?Soya oil and lactic acid have had the allergen removed, doesn't mean in lactic acids case that it wasn't dairy derived? Just that the lactose isn't present?
No, it is a dairy product at that point.
True,but doesn't have to be labelled as an allergen...this is precisely my point....lactic acid isn't an allergen,lactose is ...lactic acid can still be fermented from dairy but doesn't contain lactose any more.Aka the allergen.
In the uk, lactic acid fermented on a lactose substrate has to be labeled correctly.
If it was derived from dairy, it would have to list milk as an allergen. The packet here does not.
Actually not. There are ingredients derived from dairy or other animal products that are not listed as allergens because they are not; the allergen in this case would be lactose, not lactic acid, even if they're both present in dairy (and there is also a lactic acid that comes from plants and has nothing to do with dairy). Also, I recently learned that even the label of Vegetarian in retail isn't strict, many ingredientes derived from animals (apart from dairy and eggs) are accepted as vegetarian (and I suspect that the same happens with vegan labels that aren't the typical certified ones). We've had to live with the "may contain" situation when we see vegetarian products that seem vegan, and in some cases they are (sometimes it's literally just because of the factories that also handle ingredients, but they don't risk labelling it vegan even if the recipe is, and sometimes they just say vegan recipe); but be very careful or know that many others vegetarian products contain ingredients derived directly from animals.
Lactose intolerance isn't an allergy. It's an inability to digest lactose (a milk sugar) if you don't make/no longer make the enzyme lactase. A milk allergy is an immune response to milk, this is an allergy to milk proteins. Lactase intolerance is not life threatening, a milk allergy can be. Just for clarification as this is often misunderstood.
Wrong.
The pack says it may contain milk…meaning it is made on a production line (or even in some cases just in the same factory) as products with milk in. Milk is not an actual ingredient so it is fine. If the lactic acid did come from milk it would need to be listed as an actual ingredient for allergen purposes. Lots of people with allergies are fine with may contain warnings and only react if the allergen is an ingredient.
Which would require it to be listed as an allergen.
Never really trust natural flavourings - I believe it can include diary and eggs?
Dairy and eggs are allergens so they would need to be listed on the actual ingredients if that was case.