If you accidentally buy non-vegan food

[Sarabi]

What do you do when you accidentally buy non-vegan food? (Sometimes I can't believe how careless I am... I bought some organic soy yoghurt today, and then later I looked at the cover and noticed it had a cow on it and said, "No Farm, No Food." THEN I decided to look more closely at the ingredients. "Cultured pasteurized organic soymilk," it said, was pasteurized with milk. "Contains soy and milk." AAAAHHH!!!!!! I don't even know what that meeeeans, pasteurized with milk.)

So I do buy non-vegan food out of carelessness from time to time. And I usually just eat it because I'm like.... I paid for that. But I feel bad about it. I don't feel vegan while eating it.

What are you solutions? I hate to waste money... I do consider veganism to be as much about philosophy as about practice, yet there's still the fact that socially it becomes defined by what you actually eat.

[baby_vicuña]

Ouch I hate it when that happens. I slipped up with a brush once (had real animal hair). I returned it, but I doubt you could do that with the yogurt. Can you give it to anyone that would eat it?

Try not to feel bad. Mistakes happen. My mom always tells me, "They're errors, not mistakes. They're mistakes only when you don't learn from them." :)

[DiaShel]

I've made several mistakes like that. Some things just seem safe to assume is vegan but isn't. I've gotten into the habit of checking everything. Yesterday I almost but got hummus that had milk in it and looked before check out. When I do make the mistake I usually give it away. I don't think I'd be able to intentionally eat something non-vegan though I had unintentionally.

[Kate1978]

Last week I was in a hurry and bought some crisps thinking they were black pepper and sea salt but turned out they were sour cream and chives. Packaging virtually identical and yours truly wasn't paying the usual care and attention.

I gave them to my colleague to eat. :rolleyes:

[Declan]

This isn't food related but a couple of weeks ago I was at the checkout at a heath food store and picked up a lib balm that I assumed was vegan, since most things in that shop are (They're the only place I've ever seen J/A/S/O/N cosmetics on sale!) but it turns out it has beeswax in it. I'm still using it just now, since by the time I realised I'd already used it a couple of times and wouldn't pass something like that that I'd used on to someone else. It's not very good stuff though, I think I'll go get another one soon out of sheer disgust at the taste.

[Kate1978]

^ Oooh, it's a sneaky one that beeswax! Worst culprits are moisturisers and lip balms.

[baby_vicuña]

I know isn't it? I had to give my mom and sister most of my make-up cause of that beeswax. Oh jeez, and not to mention the gift of Burt's Bees products for my birthday...that I kinda sorta re-gifted today...hehe...sshhh....

[f2097]

I do this all the time in the Co-op. Their sour creme & chive dip is in almost identical packaging to their humous. I usually notice after I have thrown away the receipt or while opening the tub :/ Last time I just put it in the compost..

[Kitteh]

I recently found a brand of snack bars and bought the only flavour avail. and none of the ingredients are animal based. I checked their website and I am sure it said they're a vegan company. I found 2 more flavours last week and bought them without bothering to read the ingredients but when I got home I checked and they both contain skim milk powder. I will be giving them to an omni friend of mine.

[veganwitch]

I always return it to the store and tell them why I am returning it. Once I bought the wrong cereal. It had honey in it, so I brought it back for the other kind. The other thing was small size OJ that when I got home saw they added D3 to it. When I brought that back the woman at the service desk asked some questions and I looked at it as a way to inform others. She was surprised that they would even add any Vit D to orange juice.

^ And what is up with the milk in hummus? I've never seen that. Gross.

[herbivorous bex]

I recently opened a new jar of Green & Black's hot chocolate, then, (luckily, before having any - unluckily, after pulling the foil lid off) thought I had better check the ingredients seeing as they've now started putting milk in their chocolate bars, and, sure enough, there is now milk in the hot chocolate, too. Thing is, I don't really know of anyone I could give it to.. I'm definitely not going to use it myself though. I'm thinking of maybe giving it to my mum to take to work for people to have during their tea break, or maybe leave it in a campsite washing-up room with a little note saying 'please take this!' - I'd hate to see it go to waste

[DavidT]

Because the dairy and egg industry is so over-subsidised (cruelly, we all have to pay to give even the big bad boys like Nestlé subsidies!) and the trend in pharming is towards higher and higher yields, many 'by-products' of their processes are criminally cheap.

Manufacturers thus use them as fillers or in unnecessary new twists on recipes (look how difficult it is to buy simple things like soup in mainstream brands without dairy in it) or even as completely 'new foods'.

Feck 'em. Buy local, simple, unadvertised foods.

[Gorilla]

I recently opened a new jar of Green & Black's hot chocolate, then, (luckily, before having any - unluckily, after pulling the foil lid off) thought I had better check the ingredients seeing as they've now started putting milk in their chocolate bars, and, sure enough, there is now milk in the hot chocolate, too.

without wishing to start the debate again, they don't actually intentionally put the milk in. they just admit it's almost inevitable cross-contamination, and have chosen to label it strangely.


Feck 'em. Buy local, simple, unadvertised foods.

fine in principle but not always possible or practical. i often shop in my local wholefood shop which stocks mostly independent 'ethical' products, but there's often still something unexpected sneaked into products you'd think should be 'safe' e.g. non-vegan soya cheese; fromage frais in guacamole - yes i realise one can make it easily oneself, but that's just an example; honey and beeswax are often used in independent products.

[Sarabi]

Well... I'm glad it's not just me then. Probably a good idea to return the food item if reasonable. At least I know I can buy bananas without them having milk in them.

[DavidT]

Feck 'em. Buy local, simple, unadvertised foods.

fine in principle but not always possible or practical.
Oh, go on then, if you insist.

Feck 'em. Where possible or practical, buy local, simple, unadvertised foods.

[baby_vicuña]

At least I know I can buy bananas without them having milk in them.
I know right?

It's insane what you find when you read ingredients. I was looking at some teas and one had milk solids or something like that in it. So frustrating.

[Sarabi]

I know right?

It's insane what you find when you read ingredients. I was looking at some teas and one had milk solids or something like that in it. So frustrating.
It's as if the dairy industry realizes they're going to lose money to milk alternatives, so they decide to cash in on them. Frustrating indeed. It's always about the money.

[baby_vicuña]

It's always about the money.
Sad, but true.

[xrodolfox]

When I get a non-vegan item by mistake (like when I'm in a hurry, and get a yogurt or bread that looks similar to one that is vegan that I normally purchase), I go back to the store and return it.

I've done it a few times. Mostly things like margerines, yogurts, and more processed foods. It's never been a problem. I just state, "I mean to purchase X product, and I got this one by mistake. I can't consume the product I purchased. Please let me return or exchange it."

[Trow]

Herbivorous bex, see http://www.greenandblacks.com/uk/what-we-make/home-use/hot-chocolate.html#ingredientsInformation for details

[saidsirius]

The most frustrating thing for me is trying to find a loaf of bread without honey (and even milk!) in it. It's so annoying. You don't need to put either of those items in bread. If I do accidentally buy something with a hidden animal ingredient, my non-vegan husband will eat it. Or I'll give it to a friend or family member. I just can't bring myself to knowingly consume animal products anymore.

[baby_vicuña]

^ I have that problem with honey in bread. It's so annoying. I found one brand of sprouted wheat that I really like that has no honey in it. I basically stick to that now, but I still check the ingredients when I buy it.

[puca]

Herbivorous bex, see http://www.greenandblacks.com/uk/what-we-make/home-use/hot-chocolate.html#ingredientsInformation for details
wtf, it used to be vegan :(

[baby_vicuña]

^ Wait so the milk in that is just cross-contamination? I'm confused...

[DiaShel]

^ I have that problem with honey in bread. It's so annoying. I found one brand of sprouted wheat that I really like that has no honey in it. I basically stick to that now, but I still check the ingredients when I buy it.

and I love when they say it's an ingredient that's less then .2%. Then why put it in!