The popularity of vegan diets world wide is continuously growing. Indeed, in 2023, the vegan grocery store has grown to over $27 billion.
The term “vegan” normally refers to foods that don’t contain animal ingredients (meat, poultry, eggs, milk, fish, seafood).
Although some consumers consider them healthier, vegan food can be an interesting alternative for consumers who care concerning the environment, sustainability and animal welfare.
However, one other variety of consumer may select these products for a totally different reason: people who find themselves allergic to animal proteins equivalent to cow’s milk and eggs.
In reference to, our research groupleader in food allergen risk evaluation in Canada, decided to research this issue the 2 questions below: :
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Do consumers allergic to animal proteins consider vegan products protected?
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And if that’s the case, are these products really protected for them?
What does it offer to consumers with allergies?
The answers to those questions are crucial for individuals with food allergies who’re vulnerable to potentially serious reactions (anaphylaxis) from consuming these products.
Food allergies affect approx six percent of Canadiansincluding 0.8 percent allergic to eggs and 1.1 percent for milk.
Even though different forms immunotherapy or allergen desensitization showed promising results, probably the most effective technique to avoid allergic reactions continues to be to refrain from eating foods that may contain allergens.
When purchasing pre-packaged foods, consumers with allergies depend on the claims on the ingredient list to discover foods which are protected for them. Regulatory authorities accountable for food quality and safety recognize the importance of accurate ingredient declarations for consumers with allergies. Yes Sir obligatory list any allergen that has been voluntarily added to a packaged food product.
However, with regards to ingredients that may appear unintentionally – for instance through cross-contact during food processing – there’s a regulatory gap. These ingredients are frequently identified with the “may contain” warning that’s used (or sometimes overused) voluntarily and randomly by food processors.
Furthermore, the term “vegan” is just not standardized or defined in Canadian regulations. In fact, Canadian Food Inspection Agency notes that relating to the usage of the term “vegan”
…corporations may use additional criteria or standards that take note of other aspects along with food ingredients.
However, no details or examples of those elements were provided. The lack of a precise regulatory definition prevents the implementation of compliance requirements.
Most though recalls products advertised as “vegan” are as a consequence of the presence of undeclared ingredients of animal origin, particularly milk and eggs.
What do consumers with food allergies say?
In this context and inside questionnaire Consumers with allergies carried out in cooperation with Food Allergy Canadawe asked participants who indicated they were allergic (or were the parent of a baby allergic) to eggs or milk in the event that they purchased products advertised as “vegan.”
Of the 337 respondents, 72 percent said they generally included these products of their purchases, 14 percent said they all the time did, and 14 percent never did.
These results suggest that these consumers actually consider the “vegan” claim to be an indicator of the absence of animal proteins – an absence that can be not supported by any regulatory requirement or definition.
Since the absence of those ingredients can’t be guaranteed, such dietary habits may put people allergic to eggs and/or milk in danger.
An educational campaign to make clear that the term “vegan” is an indicator of weight-reduction plan and subsequently wouldn’t be valid for this community.
(Shutterstock)
Do vegan products contain ingredients of animal origin?
The proven fact that 86 percent of survey respondents purchase “vegan” products suggests that allergic reactions related to those products are potentially rare.
That’s why we analyzed egg and milk protein content of “vegan” and “plant-based” products sold in Quebec.
A complete of 124 products were tested for the presence of egg proteins (64) and/or milk (87).
No egg whites were detected in any of the samples, but five samples contained milk proteins: 4 dark chocolate bars advertised as “certified vegan” and a supermarket brand chestnut cake.
For these five products, the potential presence of milk was declared with the warning “may contain milk”.
We used the quantitative concentration of milk proteins in these products combined with the quantity of food that may be consumed in a single meal to calculate the exposure dose in milligrams of allergen protein. We then estimated the probability that these doses would cause a response in allergy populations correlation models. Our results show that the calculated doses could cause reactions in six percent of milk-allergic consumers for chocolate bars and one percent for cake.
How can consumers with food allergies protect themselves?
While this level of risk may be perceived as low, it’s prone to change abruptly. And it would remain so until regulatory requirements are introduced.
In fact, somewhat than attributing it to the presence of a “vegan” or “plant-based” claim, this level of risk most probably reflects it good allergen management practicescharacteristic of the North American food production sector.
So regardless that the statement “may contain milk” for a “vegan” or “plant-based” product seems contradictory, people who find themselves allergic to milk should interpret it as a sign that the product may pose a risk to their health.
