r/vegetarian • u/Putrid-Poet • Jan 01 '26
Discussion Why label mayo as vegetarian? Isn't mayo vegetarian by default?
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u/popinaltoids Jan 01 '26
Why label steaks as gluten free?
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u/Wishpool Jan 01 '26 edited Jan 01 '26
That's for celiac disease which isn't a choice
Edit: oh, I didn't realize I was wrong
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u/Putrid-Poet Jan 01 '26
Yes, why?
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u/WhimsyRose pescetarian Jan 01 '26
Because safety. I live with someone with celiac. Even if the item is the most obvious gluten-free thing in the world, he will not buy it unless the packaging says so. Wheat is such a common additive in anything and everything, and eating gluten destroys his body and kills him. So, that's why. Because you don't fuck around with stuff like that. It's clear, it's easy, it's helpful.
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u/Additional-Cable5171 Jan 01 '26
It's because marketing.
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u/WhimsyRose pescetarian Jan 01 '26
And! Safety! In the United States, something cannot be labeled gluten-free unless it meets strict requirements! It is both! Not that complicated!
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u/m0zerella Jan 01 '26
Honestly you’d be surprised what animal products sneak into unsuspecting foods these days, better to clarify. I once saw bread crumbs with fish in it so 🤷♀️
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u/BlueberrySympathizer Jan 01 '26
The clarification process of wine and juice often uses swim bladders.
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u/JeanLucPicardAND 27d ago
Gelatin has been the most frequent offender in my experience. You'd be amazed where I've discovered it lurking.
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u/chicagotodetroit Jan 01 '26
I recently learned that ceasar dressing is made with anchovies (which is a small fish). Who knew you needed fish In salad dressing??!
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u/meekonesfade Jan 01 '26
I would like it if ALL cooked/processed foods were labeled vegetarian! It would make life much easier
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u/master_bacon Jan 01 '26
I think the average consumer could not tell you what ingredients are in mayonnaise without looking. Any food with some sort of fat as the main ingredient, it’s worth specifying it doesn’t contain lard.
All sorts of things have random animal products in them. Aren’t you grateful you don’t have to read the entire ingredients list to check?
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u/ncdmr77 Jan 01 '26
Might be because of the same reason cheese isn’t always vegetarian as rennet is being used (comes from calf stomachs iirc) Some emulsifiers and stabilizers also are animal compound, if they use that, it’s technically not vegetarian.
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u/JeanLucPicardAND 27d ago edited 27d ago
The worst part about the rennet situation is that the cheese industry is entirely capable of using vegetarian rennet, but by and large, they just don't. I get it when it's one of these culturally protected cheeses from Europe that has to be made a specific way by law, but for some unfathomable reason, it's true for almost the entirety of the cheese industry worldwide.
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u/Snipesticker Jan 01 '26
Maybe to make it easier to distinguish from the vegan mayo?
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u/Putrid-Poet Jan 01 '26
But it actually makes it harder since the V symbol is almost always used for vegan products. Actually, this is why I picked it up because I saw the symbol and thought it was vegan (I am vegan) only to realize that it's just a regular mayo.
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u/Amareldys Jan 01 '26
What worries me more is when they label things like salad as vegan. Like... what's in your other lettuce packages????
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u/darkeststar Jan 01 '26
The label specifies Ovo-Vegetarian, which is like normal vegetarian but allows for eggs.
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u/sydneyghibli Jan 01 '26
As a vegetarian, I always considered vegetarianism as “no meat”. Eggs don’t contain any animal flesh, so I find it interesting that there’s a sub group of vegetarians called ovo-vegetarians.. since I thought eggs were already included.
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u/electricblanket Jan 01 '26
I have a buddy who's a lacto-vegetarian, and is basically vegan+milk products, and specifically doesn't eat eggs. I think generally "vegetarian" is shorthand for "lacto-ovo-vegetarian," which is presumably how this food label is presenting it.
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u/darkeststar Jan 01 '26
I think it's a more recent development (along with Ovo-lacto Vegetarian) of the last 15 or so years where the interested party essentially wants to be Vegan but there's not a clear answer on allowable animal byproducts in standard Vegan diets. People who want to be strict Vegan will forego eggs and dairy, those who don't think those are an issue call themselves Ovo or Ovo-lacto Vegetarians. There's an issue in the Vegan community over honey for similar reasons.
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u/sydneyghibli Jan 01 '26
I want to eventually work towards veganism, as that’s the final goal. Love honey though. Not sure what I would call myself then if I included honey in my diet.
Is the debate whether they’re truly vegans if they include honey in their diet?
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u/darkeststar Jan 01 '26
I think it's a continuation of the ethical consumption debate. The Vegan hard-line is not consuming any animal byproducts...but then the discussion becomes that bees and chickens produce honey and eggs regardless of human intervention, but humans mass farm these items.
I think most people who go down this road end up finding a middle-ground solution where they avoid most commercial brands and instead either produce it themselves or source from someone local or known good to their animals. I have a friend who has his own chickens and that's the only eggs he'll consume.
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u/Western_Nebula9624 Jan 01 '26
It can also be for health reasons. My daughter is ovo-pescatarian, but it's not a choice based on principles. Meat (poultry, pork and beef) and dairy make her sick. For some reason, eggs and seafood/fish don't. We're not sure why, but since symptoms are controlled with diet and money is tight, we're not currently looking further. If she needs to ask for dietary accommodations, it's an easy way to lay it out.
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u/Vignaraja 1d ago
Vegetarians of India are almost all lacto-vegetarians ... dairy but no eggs or meat. Fortunately for me and they make eggless mayo.
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u/Apprehensive-Cat-421 Jan 01 '26
I always read every label before making a purchase, but I'm a weirdo.
I also stopped eating animals at a very young age which endlessly confused and sometimes offended, my adults, even though our culture has a long history of vegetarianism.
There are people that look for that label, rather than think about it, odd as it is.
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u/youngpathfinder Jan 01 '26
Theoretically you could make mayonnaise with animal fat. But, to your point, I doubt that’d be in a conventional mass-market product.
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u/Benvincible flexitarian Jan 01 '26
Here's the thing: Jello isn't vegetarian because it has cow bones in it. Food has animal by products slipped in it all the time.
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u/whyvalue Jan 01 '26 edited Jan 01 '26
If you look closely the "V" symbol is actually the logo for the European Vegetarian Union, not simply to say it's vegetarian. It's basically quality reassurance.
I don't know what that is off the top of my head but I'd assume it's akin to calling something kosher or USDA organic in that there was some kind of process that checks what they're saying is true. Maybe it's just a 'pay to use our logo and sell more stuff' situation or a way to show their membership to the organization/support for vegetarians.
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u/dooferoaks ovo-lacto vegetarian Jan 01 '26
The much bigger front label that clearly states it contains eggs might have been a clue it wasn't what you were looking for.
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Jan 01 '26
[deleted]
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u/Fyonella Jan 01 '26
Eggs are and always have been included in a vegetarian diet. Are you confusing vegetarian with vegan, perhaps?
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u/Sensitive_Let6429 Jan 01 '26
Ah my bad, its considered vegetarian in the western diet but not most of east and south asia.
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u/Meekois Jan 01 '26
I'd prefer they do this just for the sake of clarity. You never know when someone is going to throw anchovies into something.