Its a very interesting thing, our country's food supply that is. I go to supermarkets, stores, farm stands, etc. in a constant quest for organic food. Our main supplier here at Deer Run is our local health food store, Good Food Conspiracy. They have earned my trust and respect, plus I adore every single person who is at that store. But, like most others, I also do some marketing at supermarkets. I am dismayed by the quality of food that is offered in most mainstream markets. The thing is, that food is cheaper and easier to obtain than food that has actual nutritional value. Frustrating.
At Deer Run, I prepare a full breakfast from scratch every morning from mostly organic ingredients, with as many fair trade items as I can source. We have a policy here, no outside products at the breakfast table unless it is necessary medication. My reason for this is that my breakfast table is essentially sacred space, and I do not want any non-vegan products in that space. There are hidden ingredients in food which are not vegan. The best example of this is calcium fortified orange juice. Did you know that the type of Vitamin D in said calcium enriched orange juice is sourced from fish. So, even something as basic as orange juice (seemingly vegan) has been altered by some large food conglomerates to contain an animal product, turning some types into a non-vegan product.
Food colorings are a huge issue as far as being a hidden non-vegan ingredient. There are a lot more mentions in the media lately about red food coloring. Often times, red dyes classified as "natural" come from carmine or cochineal sources. That's crushed up beetles folks. You'll find that in yogurt, ice cream, cosmetics, and a host of other products. You will NOT find that in vegan yogurts, vegan non-dairy desserts, vegan cosmetics, any other vegan products, because obviously it is NOT vegan.
The Omega-3s in enriched bread could be fish derived. Many "gummy" products (gummy bears, jell-o, marshmallows) contain gelatin, which is derived from animal bones. Refined white sugar is processed with bone char, meaning during the manufacturing process the sugar is touching/being filtered through ground up animal bones (you can avoid bone char by choosing something like "Sugar in the Raw" or brands called "Wholesome Sweeteners" and "Florida's Crystals." Whey is in in many products, which is a dairy product. The shellac & confectioner's glaze on many candies people eat is derived from insects. Even many soy-based cheeses contain casein which is a milk ingredient. I think its a cheap ingredient to help those products melt. Seeing the words "natural flavors" on any product should immediately set up a red flag for those of us concerned with hidden non-vegan ingredients. Insects ARE natural, so there's no lying in that label. But, really, most of us would like to know about those insects we smeared on our lips to make them red, or eating in that pretty pink or red food. Have you even thought about what's in the food coloring you're putting into your latest red velvet cake, or about those holiday sprinkles your putting on your sugar cookies?
You should never let your guard down when it comes to food. Even in places you'd think its "safe," its not. I was at a very well known natural food chain up north last week, looking at the "healthy living" section of their prepared foods. It was a beautiful selection of food, I must admit. I was cold and wanted soup. I was reading all the ingredients (this chain clearly lists food ingredients on the food offered) and the cook behind the counter overheard me chatting with Mr. Happy Vegan wondering which were vegan options. She pointed me to one offering saying it was vegan, exactly as I was reading the ingredient list. It had whey in it. Clearly labeled (thank you!) and I said "no, this has whey in it." She replied that the soup was non-dairy, it "only"had whey in it. Clearly there was a disconnect there for her. I stated that whey is NOT vegan, it IS a dairy product. She honestly didn't seem to "get it," and pretty much kept saying the soup was non-dairy. I walked away, just being grateful the store had the ingredients listed for me to decide for myself.
I have a book called "A Consumers Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients" by Ruth Winter. That book is kept in my kitchen, along with my cookbooks. When I have a concern about an ingredient, that is the first place I go for my research. After that, I go on line and continue my research until I'm satisfied I have accurate information about whether an ingredient is vegan, or not.
There have been times when people have brought outside items to the table, and they have been asked to remove them. This typically does not go over very well, but I'm now at a point where I truly think its a matter of respect and courtesy for us at Deer Run as well as other guests to adhere to this policy. Mostly I think we as a collective group of humanity just are unaware of how our food is manipulated these days, and what's really in it. One of the blessings of having a scratch kitchen is that I can better control what goes into my food. The standard for organic food is higher (not perfect, just higher) and there is much less chance of ingesting an ingredient that is either morally objectionable or an allergen when using organic products, along with doing some reading whenever there's a concern.
I believe we have a right to know what is in our food, and I have the right to declare my breakfast area sacred space. As we continue to move forward in our quest for knowledge, I believe more people will eventually make more compassionate choices. There's no reason to crush up billions of beetles to make strawberry yogurt or ice cream a "pretty" color, when there's other choices, like beet powder for example.
I encourage everyone to engage in dialogue with suppliers and manufacturers, making your concerns and desires known. I also do not want GMO's in my food, and believe they should be clearly labeled. I believe we have a right to know what's in our food, and here at Deer Run we do our absolute best to be educated about food issues. As consumers we hold a lot of power in our wallet. Use the power wisely.
At Deer Run, I prepare a full breakfast from scratch every morning from mostly organic ingredients, with as many fair trade items as I can source. We have a policy here, no outside products at the breakfast table unless it is necessary medication. My reason for this is that my breakfast table is essentially sacred space, and I do not want any non-vegan products in that space. There are hidden ingredients in food which are not vegan. The best example of this is calcium fortified orange juice. Did you know that the type of Vitamin D in said calcium enriched orange juice is sourced from fish. So, even something as basic as orange juice (seemingly vegan) has been altered by some large food conglomerates to contain an animal product, turning some types into a non-vegan product.
Food colorings are a huge issue as far as being a hidden non-vegan ingredient. There are a lot more mentions in the media lately about red food coloring. Often times, red dyes classified as "natural" come from carmine or cochineal sources. That's crushed up beetles folks. You'll find that in yogurt, ice cream, cosmetics, and a host of other products. You will NOT find that in vegan yogurts, vegan non-dairy desserts, vegan cosmetics, any other vegan products, because obviously it is NOT vegan.
The Omega-3s in enriched bread could be fish derived. Many "gummy" products (gummy bears, jell-o, marshmallows) contain gelatin, which is derived from animal bones. Refined white sugar is processed with bone char, meaning during the manufacturing process the sugar is touching/being filtered through ground up animal bones (you can avoid bone char by choosing something like "Sugar in the Raw" or brands called "Wholesome Sweeteners" and "Florida's Crystals." Whey is in in many products, which is a dairy product. The shellac & confectioner's glaze on many candies people eat is derived from insects. Even many soy-based cheeses contain casein which is a milk ingredient. I think its a cheap ingredient to help those products melt. Seeing the words "natural flavors" on any product should immediately set up a red flag for those of us concerned with hidden non-vegan ingredients. Insects ARE natural, so there's no lying in that label. But, really, most of us would like to know about those insects we smeared on our lips to make them red, or eating in that pretty pink or red food. Have you even thought about what's in the food coloring you're putting into your latest red velvet cake, or about those holiday sprinkles your putting on your sugar cookies?
You should never let your guard down when it comes to food. Even in places you'd think its "safe," its not. I was at a very well known natural food chain up north last week, looking at the "healthy living" section of their prepared foods. It was a beautiful selection of food, I must admit. I was cold and wanted soup. I was reading all the ingredients (this chain clearly lists food ingredients on the food offered) and the cook behind the counter overheard me chatting with Mr. Happy Vegan wondering which were vegan options. She pointed me to one offering saying it was vegan, exactly as I was reading the ingredient list. It had whey in it. Clearly labeled (thank you!) and I said "no, this has whey in it." She replied that the soup was non-dairy, it "only"had whey in it. Clearly there was a disconnect there for her. I stated that whey is NOT vegan, it IS a dairy product. She honestly didn't seem to "get it," and pretty much kept saying the soup was non-dairy. I walked away, just being grateful the store had the ingredients listed for me to decide for myself.
I have a book called "A Consumers Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients" by Ruth Winter. That book is kept in my kitchen, along with my cookbooks. When I have a concern about an ingredient, that is the first place I go for my research. After that, I go on line and continue my research until I'm satisfied I have accurate information about whether an ingredient is vegan, or not.
There have been times when people have brought outside items to the table, and they have been asked to remove them. This typically does not go over very well, but I'm now at a point where I truly think its a matter of respect and courtesy for us at Deer Run as well as other guests to adhere to this policy. Mostly I think we as a collective group of humanity just are unaware of how our food is manipulated these days, and what's really in it. One of the blessings of having a scratch kitchen is that I can better control what goes into my food. The standard for organic food is higher (not perfect, just higher) and there is much less chance of ingesting an ingredient that is either morally objectionable or an allergen when using organic products, along with doing some reading whenever there's a concern.
I believe we have a right to know what is in our food, and I have the right to declare my breakfast area sacred space. As we continue to move forward in our quest for knowledge, I believe more people will eventually make more compassionate choices. There's no reason to crush up billions of beetles to make strawberry yogurt or ice cream a "pretty" color, when there's other choices, like beet powder for example.
I encourage everyone to engage in dialogue with suppliers and manufacturers, making your concerns and desires known. I also do not want GMO's in my food, and believe they should be clearly labeled. I believe we have a right to know what's in our food, and here at Deer Run we do our absolute best to be educated about food issues. As consumers we hold a lot of power in our wallet. Use the power wisely.
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