By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

The Vegetarian Resource Group received an email inquiry from Theresa with a question about ingredients in pain relievers. She wrote:

“I went shopping yesterday for Tylenol and Motrin…Tylenol and Excedrin Migraine both had pregelatinized starch in them…I have three bottles of Excedrin Migraine and two do not have that ingredient. I called both companies and…was…told that it was high quality bovine gelatin—GREAT! I can’t believe that gelatin is…a needed ingredient in pain killers…Just thought it was weird that only one out of three products had that ingredient…

…I did find an alternative solution for now. The Target® brand of tension headache medication did not have gelatin in it.

Thanks for your continued research into this.”

Pain Reliever Ingredients
When analyzing the entire ingredient statements for these products, the first thing that we noticed was a major difference between tablet and gel capsule formulations.

Tablets may contain pregelatinized starch which is never animal-derived. (See next section for more about this ingredient.) Gel capsules most often contain gelatin (thus, their name) which is animal-derived. Despite their seemingly similar names, however, these two ingredients are not the same. [VRG Note: Gelatin alternatives that are vegan exist. Seaweed-derived agar agar may serve as a suitable substitute for gelatin. Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC or hypromellose), sourced from wood or cotton with petrochemical-derived parts, is another vegan alternative to gelatin.] See: http://www.orisonchem.com/hpmc.html

Pregelatinized Starch in Foods
“Pregelatinized” refers to the process by which an ingredient such as starch or flour is pre-cooked, dried, and ground into flake or powder form. Pregelatinized starch is widely used in the food industry (soup mixes, sauces, etc.). Its ability to dissolve in cold liquids and achieve viscosity simplifies the manufacturing process. The most common starches used are corn, tapioca, and potato starches.

Diane Andrick in the Customer Advocacy Department of Tate & Lyle Ingredients Americas LLC, a major manufacturer of pregelatinized starch, told The VRG in November 2017:
“Gelatinizing starches allow them to be used in different food applications than starches that are processed otherwise.

I can assure you that no gelatin is used in the production of our prejel starches. They are all both kosher- and halal- certified. Halal certification is not given to products using gelatin. Our T&L products are vegan and vegetarian. The vegetarian status below is on our specification sheet [for our product Miragel® 463].
Vegetarian Status
vegetarian: suitable
vegan: suitable
ovo-vegetarian: suitable
lacto-vegetarian: suitable
lacto-ovo-vegetarian: suitable”
https://www.tateandlyle.com/ingredient/mira-gel-starch

Pregelatinized Starch in Pharmaceuticals
In the pharmaceutical industry, pregelatinized starch is commonly used as a binder in tablet manufacturing. There are other functions as well. See, for example, this weblink for more information starting on the bottom of page 2548 and following: http://www.jpharmsci.org/article/S0022-3549(15)00249-X/pdf
See also: https://www.colorcon.com/products-formulation/all-products/excipients/tablets/starch-1500

Pregelatinized starches also have many other applications such as in the mining, textile, and construction industries: http://www.grainprocessing.com/industrial-starch-products/pregelatinized-starches.html

To learn more about pregelatinized starches:
https://www.cargill.com/food-bev/ap/pregelatinized-starches
http://www.galam.co.il/food-beverages/products/pre-gelatinized-starches
http://www.paramesubiotech.com/pregelatinized-maize-starch-food-grade.htm
http://www.viscostarch.com/pregelatinized-starch-food.php

VRG Comment on Theresa’s Inquiry
Based on our research into pregelatinized starch, VRG inquirer Theresa received inaccurate information when she called pain reliever companies about pregelatinized starch. It is not from bovine gelatin. Below is what we learned from several companies which manufacture pain relievers when we called in November 2017.

Tylenol
We first submitted a contact request form on Tylenol’s website about pregelatinized starch and magnesium stearate. We received a reply:
“At this time, we unfortunately do not have that information available to us at the Consumer Care Center.”

In order to obtain some ingredient information we then called Johnson & Johnson® manufacturer of Tylenol. We asked specifically about their Cold + Flu Severe® caplets containing pregelatinized starch and magnesium stearate:
https://www.tylenol.com/products/tylenol-cold-flu-severe-caplets#ingredients

The customer Service Representative told us that their pregelatinized starch was “plant-based starch.”

We then asked about magnesium stearate. She read from her database:
“Q: ‘Does this product contain animal or animal byproducts?’ A: ‘No.’”
She did not have specific information on magnesium stearate.

Excedrin
The VRG first submitted a contact request form on Excedrin’s website about its ingredients. The email reply instructed us to call their consumer line for information.

So we called GlaxoSmithKline® manufacturer of Excedrin. We wanted to know more about the ingredients in:
https://www.excedrin.com/content/dam/cf-consumer-healthcare/excedrin/en_US/documents/PM_DRUGFACTS_0923.pdf#zoom=100

Readers may note the disclaimer at the top of the first page in this weblink that states that when a product’s label ingredients differ from what is on the website for that product, the website information is the most current.

This Excedrin product contains stearic acid, magnesium stearate, zinc stearate, and pregelatinized corn starch.

On our first call we were told that she had “no information on animal derivatives.” She sent our questions about stearic acid, magnesium stearate, zinc stearate, and pregelatinized corn starch to their medical information team and stated that she would get back to us.

On a second call, we were told that “bovine or porcine gelatin” is used “in all Excedrin products where there is gelatin.” He also relayed that “one or more ingredients in Excedrin may be derived from material of animal origin (beef or pork derivatives).” We asked if this statement were true for all Excedrin products and was told “yes.” He also volunteered that “Glycerin is plant-derived in all GSK products.”

On our third call it was stated that the medical information team had repeated what was said on the second call. There was no new information on the specific ingredients that we had inquired about.

Motrin
We also contacted Johnson & Johnson by phone about its Motrin pain relievers. https://www.motrin.com/products/motrin-ib

Table 1. Motrin Products & Ingredients
Product Ingredients
Motrin IB liquid gels gelatin
Motrin IB caplets magnesium stearate, stearic acid, shellac, pregelatinized starch
Motrin PM caplets magnesium stearate, lactose monohydrate, pregelatinized starch

The VRG first attempted to obtain animal ingredient source information through the Motrin’s website contact request form. We asked if magnesium stearate and stearic acid were derived from animal sources. This is what we received in an email reply:

Regarding Motrin IB caplets, Johnson & Johnson’s Consumer Care Center wrote:

…At this time, we are unable to confirm the absence of the ingredients which you are inquiring about in this product. We make every effort to provide information that is as comprehensive as possible. This is sometimes complicated as the source of an ingredient or mixture(s) used at very low levels in our products may change from time to time. When we are unable to confirm the presence or absence of specific allergens or ingredients right away, this information is provided to our product development department for future consideration.”
Regarding Motrin PM caplets, the Johnson & Johnson Consumer Care Center stated in an email:

“The lactose monohydrate is derived from milk. We also were not able to confirm if there were any other animal-derived ingredients in the caplets.”

In order to gather some more information we then called Johnson & Johnson. We spoke about the Motrin IB caplets. The representative stated that “No animal ingredient or animal byproducts are in this product” but had no specific source information for each ingredient.

However, another representative was able to state the following about the ingredients in the Motrin IB caplets:
•Magnesium stearate is an ink printing agent.
•Stearic acid serves as a lubricant in the product’s coating.
•Shellac is a coating agent.

She had no source information for shellac.

It appears from her general statement (if accurate) given previously about this product being free of animal ingredients that the manufacturer does not consider shellac to be derived from an animal source. We know that shellac is derived from insects. http://www.vrg.org/blog/2010/11/30/q-a-on-shellac/

The representative identified the pregelatinized starch as cornstarch.

We were also told that Motrin PM caplets contain dairy in the form of lactose monohydrate. There is no allergen statement on the package because “due to FDA regulations an allergen statement does not have to be on the package.”

We pursued further and asked if the lack of an allergen statement were possible because of the small quantity of lactose present or the non-requirement of an allergen statement on pharmaceuticals. The rep did not have further information regarding this point.

Target
The Target website did not list label ingredients.
https://www.target.com/p/acetaminophen-tension-headache-coated-caplets-compare-to-excedrin-tension-headache-100ct-up-up-153/-/A-15041896

We found them here:
gel capsules: https://www.drugs.com/otc/117325/tension-headache-relief.html
colloidal silicon dioxide, FD&C blue #1, FD&C red #40, gelatin, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hypromellose, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, polyethylene glycol, povidone, pregelatinized starch, propylene glycol, shellac glaze, simethicone, sodium starch glycolate, stearic acid, titanium dioxide

tablets: https://www.drugs.com/otc/121489/tension-headache-relief.html
corn starch, crospovidone, D&C red #27 aluminum lake, FD&C blue #2 aluminum lake, FD&C yellow #6 aluminum lake, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, polyethylene glycol, polyvinyl alcohol, povidone, sodium starch glycolate, stearic acid, talc, titanium dioxide

On our first call, the Target representative stated that he had no list of ingredients and immediately transferred us to his supervisor. She sent my questions to another department for a reply.

After one week we called again for an update and spoke with a Target representative. He checked and said there were not yet any updates and sent me to the Minnesota corporate office customer service department. She again wrote down my questions and said they would get back to me soon.

A few days later, I received an email which stated:
“I was able to get in contact with the manufacturer in regards to your inquiry. They were able to advise that the pregelatinized starch is vegetable-based. Also, the magnesium stearate and stearic acid are plant-based as well.”

As mentioned previously, this product’s formulation differs significantly between the tablet and gel capsule. However, note that the Target brand gel capsules contain both gelatin and pregelatinized starch. Consumers who inquire about this or similar products should emphasize this difference in their email or phone inquiry to avoid being mistakenly told that gelatin’s source information applies to pregelatinized starch as well. (VRG inquirer Theresa had been told this about pregelatinized starch when calling the consumer information line.)

Possibly Animal-Derived Ingredients in Pain Relievers
Vegans and vegetarians should be aware that other ingredients in common pain killers may be animal-derived.

Gelatin is common in capsule forms. Insect-derived shellac was listed in some pain relievers such as Motrin IB caplets.
https://www.motrin.com/products/motrin-ib

Other common ingredients that could be animal-derived include
•stearic acid
•magnesium stearate
•zinc stearate
•lactose monohydrate

The contents of this posting, our website and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

To support this type of detailed research, please consider donating to The Vegetarian Resource Group here: https://www.givedirect.org/donate/?cid=1565

We often receive this question: What’s the latest thinking about soy and the risk of breast cancer or breast cancer recurrence? Reed Mangels, PhD, RD answers this query in the latest issue of Vegetarian Journal. To read the article, visit:
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2017issue4/2017_issue4_nutrition_hotline.php

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal, to:
Subscribe to Vegetarian Journal

By Arielle Burgdorf

Vintae, a Spanish company run by José Miguel Arambarri and his family dating back generations, has released a new line of vegan red wines called Matsu. The wines come from the Toro region in central Spain, an area known for its old vineyards. The theme of the line is the aging process, and each of the four wines represents a different stage in life.

Suitable for vegetarians and vegans, the company employs a biodynamic winemaking philosophy, meaning there is minimal interference with the grapes, and the wines are unfiltered, leaving more of the original taste and forgoing animal ingredients common in processing. The Matsu collection has already won many awards and received high scores from wine tasters.

Ranging in price from $15-$50, the wines are fairly affordable for the quality. If you like wine, find out where to get a bottle near you at http://bodegamatsu.com/en/ and enjoy with a nice, sharp vegan cheese.

New varieties of vegan yogurt keep showing up on store shelves. The latest edition of Vegetarian Journal includes an extensive guide to vegan yogurt that was researched and written by several VRG interns and volunteers.

The reviewers tasted various yogurts and compared nutritional information, cost, and more. They looked at almond-based, soy-based, coconut-based, cashew-based, flax-based, and hemp-based yogurts.

The entire article can be read here:
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2017issue4/2017_issue4_vegan_yogurt.php

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal, visit:
Subscribe to Vegetarian Journal

Through December 31, 2017, you can give a gift membership to The Vegetarian Resource Group (includes a 1-year subscription to Vegetarian Journal) for $15 each (40% discount). This offer is valid in the USA only!

This is a terrific way to share the vegan message, as well as support VRG. Gift subscriptions can be done online by simply typing in your message and the address(s) of the gift recipient(s) in the comments field. Go to: https://www.givedirect.org/donate/?cid=1565

Winter is the perfect time to serve a vegan stew. Zel Allen serves up several international stews in the latest edition of Vegetarian Journal. Enjoy:

Burgoo (a regional stew from Kentucky)
Harira (the national soup/stew of Morocco)
Neapolitan Cannellini Ragu (Italian stew) along with homemade Parmesan
South African Potjiekos
African Pumpkin Stew
Rajastani Ragout (Indian inspired stew)
Savory Indonesian Stew
Guisada Mexicana

The entire article can be read here:
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2017issue4/2017_issue4_travel_world.php

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal, visit:
http://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

The picture of reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh is depicted everywhere during Christmas. Vegans do not rejoice when seeing this image. You can now read Santa’s First Vegan Christmas to your young children this holiday season. Spread the message of compassion to all animals!

Information on ordering this book can be found here:
https://www.amazon.com/Santas-First-Vegan-Christmas-Robin/dp/1940184274

I am currently a student at Liverpool John Moores University writing a business plan for a vegan fast-food restaurant. I have found The Vegetarian Resource Group’s website www.vrg.org very helpful in finding out information about veganism.

I am collecting market research and was writing to request whether you would be able to pass on my questionnaire to any vegans you are in contact with. The questionnaire is very short (less than 5 minutes to complete) and is only applicable to vegans. Deadline is December 8.

The link to the questionnaire is here:
https://ljmbusiness.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3q8iWtu1pvJ1F9H

Whether your friend or family member is vegan or perhaps just interested in adding more vegan cuisine to their diet, consider purchasing a book from the VRG online book catalog. The Vegetarian Resource Group Book Catalog offers a wide range of vegan books including:

Vegan Meals for One or Two
Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World
Gluten-Free Tips and Tricks for Vegans
Vegan for One
Plant-Powered Families
Simply Vegan
Grills Gone Vegan
Vegan Soul Kitchen
Vegan Brunch
Artisan Vegan Cheese
The Joy of Vegan Baking
Vegans Know How to Party
The Lowfat Jewish Vegetarian Cookbook
Teff Love
Vegan Seafood: Beyond the Fish Shtick for Vegetarians
Vegan Microwave Cookbook
More Fabulous Beans
Soups On!
Nona’s Italian Kitchen
Food Allergy Survival Guide
The Natural Vegan Kitchen
Asian Fusion
The Indian Vegan Kitchen
The 4-Ingredient Vegan
The Almond Milk Cookbook
And so many more….

FREE media mail shipping for orders over $30 in the United States only! Inquire about shipping costs outside the USA before placing your order.

Visit VRG Book Catalog to order books online and support VRG’s outreach at the same time!

By Brenda A. Morris

Like generations of people before them, animal activists and advocates want to see their values reflected in their investments. Investors have avoided investments in alcohol, tobacco, and weapons makers for religious and ethical reasons for hundreds of years. In the 1980s some investors began to avoid companies doing business in what was then apartheid South Africa. This type of exclusionary investing is fairly straightforward: do not invest, or let money managers invest, your money in companies that participate in practices or industries that go against your values. While this sounds easy enough in theory, even people who agree that they do not want to invest in companies that harm, kill, or exploit animals have to decide where to draw this line.

If you’re not willing to support the meat industry by buying chicken and burgers, you should consider whether you’re doing so indirectly by purchasing shares of mutual funds that invest in companies that profit from their sales. While many socially responsible investment (SRI) funds won’t invest in companies that profit from adult entertainment, alcohol, firearms, gambling, nuclear power, predatory lending, tobacco, or weapons, nowhere is animal welfare mentioned. Some SRI mutual funds actually own millions of shares in businesses that profit from the killing and exploitation of animals. Although these funds may justify these holdings by arguing that the company in question has a diverse board or is reducing its use of plastic, I don’t agree that this warrants calling these businesses “ethical.”

While investing in individual securities—rather than mutual funds—gives investors more control over what’s in their portfolios, many individuals must use funds to be diversified, since money managers typically require a minimum of $100,000 (mutual funds, on the other hand, generally can be purchased with less than $100). I use this reality as an opportunity to have a dialogue with the fund families with whom we work, as well as with the businesses that are involved in the behavior that we, as animal advocates, find offensive. While my bar has been quite low for these funds over the years, the tides are beginning to turn as more investors demand more accountability.

On a handful of occasions over the past few years, I have discovered funds owning companies that most of us would agree are not only NOT SRI (forgive the double negative) but also downright UN-environmental. In these instances I have contacted the fund family to let them know that unless it was holding these shares for shareholder-advocacy reasons, we’d be selling our clients’ position. I also made my animal-friendly colleagues aware of this contradiction and shared this finding on social media. If a fund isn’t willing to budge, we’re able to replace it with another that has a similar investment style.

Cargill, one of the largest meat processors in the world, announced that it would sell off its feedlots and use the proceeds to invest in plant-based protein. I have to believe that Green Century, one of the fund families that my firm uses in many of our clients’ portfolios, is at least partially responsible for this milestone. Last year, Green Century presented a shareholder resolution to Tyson Foods asking that the company disclose the steps that it was taking to address the risks to its business from the increased popularity of plant-based eating. Green Century withdrew this resolution once Tyson made the announcement that it had invested in Beyond Meat. Tyson and Cargill are not making these moves to make their investors “feel good”—rather, they’re acknowledging the investment opportunities arising from plant-based enterprises.

When I initially met Steven Wallman (CEO and founder of Folio) back in November of 2016 at our annual SRI conference, I had no idea just how quickly and willing he would be to move forward on my suggestion to make factory farming security exclusions available to the public through our Folio platform. Lo and behold, less than 90 days after our accidental introduction grabbing soy milk for our coffee at the same time, Steve has already worked with Matthew Prescott from the Humane Society of the United States to make this happen.

What steps can you take to propel this movement forward? If you contribute to nonprofits or charitable organizations, remember to ask them how they’re investing the funds that aren’t being used in the immediate future. If you work for a company that offers a retirement plan, find out if it has any socially responsible investing (SRI) options and ask it to consider enhancing its selection if it doesn’t. Ask your financial adviser which mutual funds you own in your portfolio and find out if they’re considered SRI. If they are, take a moment to ask your portfolio manager if they acknowledge the plight of animals in their investment selection.

As more and more vegans look for better ways to invest for the future, the momentum to invest humanely continues to grow. We have a tremendous opportunity to make a difference by demanding accountability from the companies in which we invest. Since most of us need to invest, I encourage you to do so while making a difference at the same time.

Brenda A. Morris is an Investment Adviser Representative of First Affirmative Financial Network, LLC, a nationwide network of investment professionals specializing in socially and environmentally responsible investing.

As a vegan Certified Financial Planner, Brenda encourages everyone to consider “humane investing.” She has presented to animal activists around the county, including groups such as the Vegetarian Society of Richmond, the Sierra Club, the alumni of the College of William and Mary, Caryn Hartglass’ Responsible Eating and Living radio show, graduates of Victoria Moran’s Main Street Vegan Academy, Katrina Fox’s Vegan Business Media podcast, the D.C. Green Festival, the N.H. Veg Fest, PETA, Northrop Grumman’s Green Volunteer Group, Portland’s VegFest, and the NYC Green Festival. She is determined to raise the bar for funds that are purportedly “sustainable” and “ethical,” as she strongly believes that they should consider animal rights and animal welfare in their investment process.

Brenda A. Morris,CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™
Humane Investing, LLC
www.humaneinvesting.com

[email protected]

Brenda A. Morris, CFP® is an Investment Advisory Representative of First Affirmative Financial Network, LLC.

This is not personal investment advice, for which you should speak with your financial or tax advisor.