Mars products will REMAIN vegetarian friendly!

Coconut

Victoryyyyy!!!!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6673549.stm

"Mars has abandoned plans to use animal products in its chocolate, and has apologised to "upset" vegetarians."

People power

cormie

Are they vegan friendly? I presume they use milk solids and all that in their chocolate?

Slaphead07

I think you can safely assume most commercial chololate is not, by it's very nature, vegan friendly.

Peanut

..
"Forty MPs also signed a petition to voice their opposition. "

wow... what are the chances of that happening over here!!
Possibly the opposite, lobbying for the meat industry...

cormie

what % is 40 though I wonder?

viggi-tea

WAAAY!!! This is fantastic news !!

nervous_twitch

I'm delighted the system works!

Gadgie

cormie wrote:

what % is 40 though I wonder?

6.2% (40 of 646).

Rockiemalt

it said UK only in the video report though.....i hope irish stuff is still veggie too...:(

Reptileboy

This is absolutely fantastic news and vindication that the vegetarian consumer is just as valued and vocal as any other consumer group.

I just hope other companies sit up and take notice. Recognise that vegetarians are a big and valuable market and to take a long hard look at the products they make that could be easily changed to vegetarian friendly status by the simple removal of a number of arbitrary ingredients.

I am absolutely delighted at this response and by the work of those committed to having this decision reversed. And also those, who while not vegetarians themselves, respected us enough to offer their support.

Way to go everybody.:D

Tar.Aldarion

You mean just r3nu4l? :P

Anyway, victory is assured, assemble the vegetarian army to celebrate. Uncask the meat, etc

sweet-rasmus

ah, i celebrated with a nice fake bacon and fake cheese sandwich last night. it was good

Tusky

sweet-rasmus wrote:

ah, i celebrated with a nice fake bacon and fake cheese sandwich last night. it was good

fake bacon ? is there such a thing ?

Tar.Aldarion

Yeah, there are a few brands, vegetarian and vegan ones. There is a substitute for most meats.

che81

mmmmmm veggie bacon sandwiches with ketchup and mustard. mmmmmmmm

I'm suspicious of veg*ans who buy into this crap pretending to be meat thing.
Why would you want to eat something minmicing something so gross.

Slaphead07

Moonbaby wrote:

Why would you want to eat something minmicing something so gross.

the point is it isn't meat. That's all that matters. Each to their own eh?

Tar.Aldarion

Moonbaby wrote:

I'm suspicious of veg*ans who buy into this crap pretending to be meat thing.
Why would you want to eat something minmicing something so gross.

Uh maybe, just maybe they don't think it is gross? I don't, and it tastes delicious.

che81

well i am not ashamed to say that i actually like the taste and texture of meat, i just can't face eating it. i can't eat animals. so i buy fakin' bacon, ham, and all of the other stuff. i don't care what anyone thinks.

Nature Boy

I agree. Meat tastes great but that doens't mean I want to eat it! I too eat and enjoy fakin' bacon

Tusky

Where can you buy fake Bacon, Ham etc ?

Tar.Aldarion

Health food stores, not supermarkets in Ireland...
I love the roasts, chicken nuggets etc but the best has to be meat balls, they are nicer than the real thing.
Also quite fond of Lincolnshire sausages and vegan hotdogs.

cmurph

this is the email i got from mars after i complained about the use of rennet...

Dear Caroline,


Thank you for taking the time to contact us in connection with the change of ingredients in our chocolate confectionery and ice cream range.



Please note that after recently changing the source of some of the whey that is used in some of our chocolate products we have received lots of feedback that this decision has made it difficult for some of you, especially those of you who are vegetarians, to continue to enjoy our products. We realise that we made a mistake and we apologise. We have committed that we at Mars UK will ensure that a selection of favourite brands including Mars bars, Snickers bars, Galaxy and Maltesers will be suitable for vegetarians in the near future.





Meanwhile we are currently experiencing unusually high volumes of contacts from our consumers and therefore we hope that you understand that, rather than answer your question individually, we are attaching a list of questions and answers we believe would be useful and help answer your enquiry.



Alternatively you can visit our web site (www.masterfoodsconsumercare.co.uk) for this, and other useful information.



Once again thank you for taking the time to contact us. Please do get back in touch, at the dedicated email address below, if your specific query has not been answered and we will do our best to get a speedy response to you.





Q1. What are you announcing?

A1. We have recently changed the source of some of the whey which is used in our chocolate products made in the UK from a vegetarian friendly variety to one which contains traces of traditional rennet from animal sources. We have received lots of feedback from consumers and reversed this decision.



Q2. Are you reverting to vegetarian recipes for all of those products that were subject to the ingredient change?

A2. Yes, this announcement means that favourite products - Mars bars, Snickers bars, Galaxy, and Maltesers will once again be suitable for vegetarians.



Q3. You make lots of other brands # what about the suitability of them?

A3. Other products will also be suitable for vegetarians including Minstrels, Revels, and Ripple. However, Twix, Bounty and Celebrations will continue not to be suitable for vegetarians.



Q4. I#m a vegetarian # which products can I eat / should I avoid?

A4. Currently we cannot guarantee that our products contain vegetarian rennet. However, we are starting to change our manufacturing process with immediate effect. We want to get our vegetarian products on the shelves as soon as possible. During this process of changing the recipes we will provide updates on this consumer care website, on a regular basis. If you are not sure about the suitability of our products please call us on 0845 0450042.



Q5. Why did you decide to change the ingredients in the first place?

A5. We made the change to broaden our supply base in order to ensure we could continue to provide our consumers with products of consistent quality in the future.



Q6. Will you now consult with consumers on any future changes to products?

A6. Yes. This change was a mistake and we are sorry that we may have prevented consumers from enjoying the products they#ve always enjoyed.

che81

tar where did you find meatballs. i have looked high and low!

Tar.Aldarion

I found them in Evergreen in Galway. There are Quorn brand.

che81

ah no, they have milk protein according to the website. i was hoping that they would only have egg whites (which i don't mind eating from time to time). ah well. thanks anyway.

Nature Boy

Twix, Bounty and Celebrations will still be non-vegetarian. Balls, I do like bounty and the odd twix

Tar.Aldarion

They can keep their bounties.

kraggy

2 questions:

When did they become non-vegetarian in the first place?

Can we take Mars Ireland (ie. Masterfoods) as having the same manufacturing process as Mars Uk?

Tar.Aldarion

They started 3 weeks before they stopped with the announcement.
We can take that most likely, yes.