Sainsbury's is dropping vegan labelling

[Demon]

Bought some So Organic Hazelnut Cereal Bars this week and they are delicous. The packet wasn't labelled vegan so I sent an email to Sainsburys and was very disappointed by the response:


Thank you for your further email. I understand you would like to know if our SO Organic hazelnut cereal bars are suitable for vegans and why we have not printed a vegan sign on the packaging.

I have found that these cereal bars are suitable for vegetarians, but not for vegans. This is because the methods used during production pose a cross contamination risk of milk.

We have also decided to stop printing the vegan sign on our products, as we do not feel it is vital information. We believe this, as it is a personal choice to follow a vegan diet and is not as important as allergy advice.

If you would like to know if any of our products are suitable for vegans, please feel free to contact us. Alternatively, you could call our freephone customer Careline with your request on 0800 636 262. Our Careline is open Monday to Saturday, 8am until 7pm.

Thank you once again for taking the time to contact us and for giving us the chance to explain our position on this matter. I do hope that you will continue to enjoy our products in the future and will find everything to your satisfaction.
(Clearly not!)

[twinkle]

Gah! The labelling is virtually the only reason I shop at Sainsburys! The buggers!

I've sent them a comment on their feedback page.

[RedWellies]

Oh no! That's a real step backwards and means I can't keep telling Tesco that Sainsburys label stuff vegan.

[twinkle]

Well, I noticed that Tesco have started labelling quite a few things now - my housemate brought tortilla chips today, and they're now labelled vegetarian and vegan. And I got three flavours of sorbet, all marked vegan, from Tesco as well.

I have sent Sainsbury's an email saying that the main reason I shop there is their labelling and that I feel this decision is a real step backwards. I hope they reconsider :(

[RedWellies]

I've just sent the same to Sainsburys, Twinkle! Good news about Tesco though:)

[Troutina]

That is awful.
Message sent, telling them that as I no longer feel a valued customer, I will no longer be spending my money there.

[twinkle]

Aw, don't tell them that! Tell them you will no longer be a valued customer UNLESS they seriously up their game, not only continuing to mark their vegan products, but labelling all the rest as well :D

I'm still waiting for my reply. If I don't hear from them by tomorrow I will start writing, emailing and phoning their freephone number.

[Troutina]

Hmm good point.
Oh poo them, they're rubbish.

[Aberbrothock]

We have also decided to stop printing the vegan sign on our products, as we do not feel it is vital information. We believe this, as it is a personal choice to follow a vegan diet and is not as important as allergy advice..

Hmm, so vegetarianism isn't a personal choice - it's an alergy? I bet they don't stop printing that on the labels though! Morons.

[EFCliz]

I e-mailed them about their labelling and got a message on my answerphone also saying that they have stopped labelling vegan as it's a personal choice not an allergy. I only wish I'd been there to pick up the phone and speak to her. Presumably that means that they will stop labelling things veggie too? (I'm guessing there are more people allergic to dairy than to meat, anyway...)

[Pob]

It's a personal choice to buy stuff off them too.

Do they appreciate they will lose custom? Mind you then they can stop making/stocking vegan foods as there will be no demand for them.

[Marrers]

Isn't all the nutitional information they print on stuff also to aid people in 'personal choice'? I'm livid.

[AbFab]

I've emailed Sainsbury's too - I agree that the more we bombard them, hopefully the more they'll stock for us, and see that there is ever-increasing demand. However, if they don't listen, then I'll vote with my feet and shop elsewhere. Mind you, the others aren't any better really, are they!!! Although I was in Tescos the other day, and noticed that they have a green V label for vegetarians, and a white one for vegans!
And if cross-contamination is an issue, they should buy from suppliers that are wholly vegan - this would cater for the vegetarians therefore too - and hopefully get the manufacturers of vegetarian products to stop putting all that unnecessary animal-product nonsense in.
Keep at it - we'll get there.

[Marrers]

The cross contamination is a red herring in my opinion, to do with allergies not veganism. :mad:

Lord Sainsbury is an animal rights target due to his funding the Oxford Lab so their anti-vegan stance might be related to that if they associate Veganism with Animal Rights. :(

[Jonny Nexus]

We have also decided to stop printing the vegan sign on our products, as we do not feel it is vital information. We believe this, as it is a personal choice to follow a vegan diet and is not as important as allergy advice.

If you would like to know if any of our products are suitable for vegans, please feel free to contact us. Alternatively, you could call our freephone customer Careline with your request on 0800 636 262. Our Careline is open Monday to Saturday, 8am until 7pm.

I've just called that number, and - after a pause of several minutes to check with a superviser - the woman on the phone line confirmed that it's all true.

I've asked her to escalate my complaint and to give me a response in writing.

I'd suggest that everyone call the above number to do the same. Perhaps if enough of us do it, they'll realise that this is a pretty stupid PR move.


I do hope that you will continue to enjoy our products in the future and will find everything to your satisfaction.

Hmm... What part of "we can't eat your products because you're refusing to tell us if they're suitable for us or not!" do you not understand.

[AbFab]

The cross contamination is a red herring in my opinion, to do with allergies not veganism. :mad:
Well, for whatever reason they don't want to go all the way, veganism due to choice or allergies due to circumstance, or abstinence due to religious reasons - whatever, they are shooting themselves in the foot.

[Demon]

If there is no joy, maybe the best strategy is to inundate them with requests to verify whether individual products are Vegan.

That keeps the issue 'on the radar'.

[Jonny Nexus]

I've posted about this to both my blog (http://jonnynexus.livejournal.com/275628.html) and to the UK Vegans Live Journal community (http://community.livejournal.com/ukvegans/131607.html). I think the best thing we can do now is to shout very, very loudly.

[Risker]

I emailed them.

[RachelJune]

I emailed them.

I've just done it too. I like the idea of calling them as well - if enough of us harass them, it should get the point across. It would just be easier for them to continue labelling than answering phone enquiries all day!

[AbFab]

Hee hee, quite. Maybe we should have a day of action? And then target each of the other supermarkets too!

[twinkle]

I guess I could also take this as a sign that I should support the local wholefood co-op more, especially as they've just started delivering :)

[AbFab]

Yeah. :) But I also think it would really help for the bigger, more mainstream supermarkets to get with the program!

[Demon]

I guess I could also take this as a sign that I should support the local wholefood co-op more, especially as they've just started delivering

Yeah and probably the local Co-Op as well as they are pretty good at vegan labelling.

[Marrers]

If supermarkets correctly labelled all their vegan own brand goods and other companies did the same it would allow people to see that becoming vegan is not as difficult, daunting and alien as they might think it is. The days of time-consuming shopping (carefully scanning each food label) and the perception of deprivation would end, making adhereing to a vegan diet seem a more mainstream, achievable and attainable concept in the public awareness.

To be able to be in someone's house and look through their cupboard pointing out that they could in fact offer me something vegan to eat from their normal shopping was glorious, not to mention steering someone to look at the labels when doing their regular shopping to pick up some biscuits etc for when I was visiting rather than having to send them on a special trip to the health food shop or the co-op. Or embarrass them by having to bring my own.

I think it is a real backwards step for veganism if the Sainsburys labelling stops.

I know that Tesco is apparently doing something but a white V vs a green V is hardly obvious to anyone not in the know, so doesn't achieve the same widening of awareness as the Co-op and Sainsburys labels. ( And when I looked I found no consistency with the colour of the V in Tesco, it seemed quite random and they did not address my queries on it when I emailed them.)