Vegetarian Cheese?

Maxthedm

I've noticed a few times when I'm buying cheese that the ingredients may include rennet, but it has 'suitable for vegetarians' on the labeling. Am I to assume that it contains vegetarian rennet as apposed to animal rennet?

Which leads me onto another question: Who regulates the 'suitable for vegetarians' label in Ireland, or is it up to the companies themselves to include it on their products. If so, can they be wrong/misinformed and mistakes can happen? I'm been trying to find this out on google, but my searches are unfruitful =(

flikflak

Yes, it will contain a vegetarian rennet.

As for your 2nd question I have no idea. I dont think there are regulations on this type of food labelling its just up to the individual company if they include that type of information. I could be wrong though!

Curlyhatescurls

On another note parmesan cheese is never vegetarian, because it's protected by laws or something and it can only be made the traditional way, something I wish I'd known when I was vegetarian, it seems to be kept very quiet and restaurants don't even seem ti be aware of the difference between vegetarian cheese and cheese made from meat rennet.

Because parmesan cheese is not vegetarian that rules out pesto (well most pesto is made with parmesan cheese) Just something else to keep in mind.

henryporter

Curlyhatescurls wrote: »

On another note parmesan cheese is never vegetarian, because it's protected by laws or something and it can only be made the traditional way, something I wish I'd known when I was vegetarian, it seems to be kept very quiet and restaurants don't even seem ti be aware of the difference between vegetarian cheese and cheese made from meat rennet.

Because parmesan cheese is not vegetarian that rules out pesto (well most pesto is made with parmesan cheese) Just something else to keep in mind.

Try Desmond or Gabriel cheese as a replacement, both Irish made vegetarian and a good replacement for Parmesan. Available at Sheridans in Dublin. Should be easier to get around Cork as that's where it's produced.

Slaphead07

Curlyhatescurls wrote: »

On another note parmesan cheese is never vegetarian, because it's protected by laws or something and it can only be made the traditional way, something I wish I'd known when I was vegetarian, it seems to be kept very quiet and restaurants don't even seem ti be aware of the difference between vegetarian cheese and cheese made from meat rennet.

Because parmesan cheese is not vegetarian that rules out pesto (well most pesto is made with parmesan cheese) Just something else to keep in mind.

all Italian chesse, if they wish to be known as cheese and Italian, MUST contain animal rennet.

Washout

i was raised vegetarian as my family is orginall indian and growing up in 70s and 80s we never knew that cheese of all things could be not suitable when my parents found out they literally felt like puking all the chese they had eaten over the years

sweet-rasmus

Maxthedm wrote: »

Which leads me onto another question: Who regulates the 'suitable for vegetarians' label in Ireland, or is it up to the companies themselves to include it on their products. If so, can they be wrong/misinformed and mistakes can happen? I'm been trying to find this out on google, but my searches are unfruitful =(

The Vegetarian Society of Ireland do not regulate any 'suitable for vegetarians' labels on food in Ireland (they used to years ago, but that practice has stopped now). Sometimes you may see food with approval stamps from the Vegetarian Society UK and that food has indeed been thoroughly checked by the UK society. Current labelling with no logo is up to the company themselves, though I've rarely found a product to say it was suitable when it wasn't (only in the case of Aldi have I seen food incorrectly labelled in the past, as on mainland Europe many countries believe that vegetarians eat fish, but I think they have since cleaned up on their labelling).

tricky D

Regato can be used as parmesan substitute also.