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by Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
VRG Research Director

Apparently in its quest to keep profits high in an economic recession and to attract customers who may frequent competitors for tasty beverages, McDonald's recently debuted an entire line of iced and hot beverages including iced coffees and teas, lattes, mochas, and frappes to add to its shakes and smoothies. Considering all the possible syrups, drizzles and milk choices, McDonald's now offers over fifty iced and hot beverages each available in three sizes.

According to the Ingredient Statement on its website, there are smoothies available that contain only non-animal ingredients such as the Strawberry Banana Smoothie without Yogurt and the Wild Berry Smoothie without Yogurt. McDonald's smoothies with yogurt contain "kosher gelatin."

All of the teas at McDonald's appear to be free of all animal products.

Iced Coffees (premium roast coffee) at McDonald’s may be ordered without cream or milk (whole or nonfat). All of the syrups (e.g., hazelnut, caramel, vanilla, and sugar free vanilla), optional as well, appear to be free of all animal ingredients.

The McCafe coffees (lattes, cappuccinos, and mochas, all made with espresso) may be ordered without milk products (whole or nonfat). The same syrups offered with the iced coffees are available with the McCafe coffees, too.

McDonald's mochas may be ordered without the whipped cream or the chocolate or caramel drizzles. The chocolate drizzle contains nonfat milk. The caramel drizzle contains condensed milk and butter. The chocolate syrup, optional in the mocha, appears to be all-vegetable.

The frappe base contains milk and cream. There are whipped cream and chocolate or caramel drizzles available that are optional on the frappes.

We asked two McDonald's customer service representatives, by email and phone, about the mono- and diglycerides in the whipped cream and in the frappe base. Jessica told us by email "that based on our supply chain and wide variety of ingredients, we cannot say with certainty that mono- and di-glycerides in the whipped cream are exclusively derived from a vegetable or an animal source." Paul repeated on the telephone the same response with respect to the mono- and diglycerides in the frappe base.

The VRG has recently asked several manufacturers of mono- and diglycerides about the most common commercial source(s) of these ingredients. The majority opinion is that most mono- and diglycerides today (over 80%) are derived from plant sources.

In recent years, McDonald's has been noting more frequently in its Ingredient Statement the sources of several ingredients. This information may not yet be provided about mono- and diglycerides in the McDonald's Ingredients Statement because mono- and diglycerides are not considered potential allergens by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Thus, suppliers are not required to list their sources and may not do so. Also, as McDonald's states, suppliers change and may vary from region to region, complicating a source listing.

According to an email we received from Red Robin’s Guest Relations, Red Robin now offers a vegan BOCA burger at its locations:

You asked about it… Now we have it! The BOCA Original Vegan Burger is now available at your Red Robin! Come on in today and ask your server to substitute a Boca patty for any of our more than 22 Gourmet Burgers & Sandwiches, or as a delicious addition to any Gourmet Salad!

As always, we are happy to customize your meal to meet your dietary needs, check out our CUSTOMIZER! http://www.redrobin.com/customizer/

PART-TIME JOB: Vegan group seeks Volunteer/Educational Materials Coordinator in Baltimore. 29 hours per week, with possibility for future full time job.

Please send resume, a writing sample, and cover letter addressing your short term and long term goals, interests, vegetarian and vegan knowledge, skills, strengths, and challenges to [email protected].

In a new report entitled Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Consumption And Production, UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) calls for a global dietary shift away from animal products in the face of these findings:

Agricultural production accounts for a staggering 70% of the global freshwater consumption, 38% of the total land use, and 14% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

From the conclusions of the report:

Impacts from agriculture are expected to increase substantially due to population growth, increasing consumption of animal products. Unlike fossil fuels, it is difficult to look for alternatives: people have to eat. A substantial reduction of impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products.

Click here for the full UNEP report (112-page PDF).

By Gretchen Chlebowski

It really struck me how vegetarianism was not celebrated in the environmental movement in the past, but it is now! A friend of mine said people at these types of environmental events often responded to vegetarianism with hostility in the past, but that has changed now and is no longer the case.

When we would receive a question about the environment (e.g., “what does water have to do with vegetarianism?”), we were delighted to be able to answer and then give them a VRG water brochure. But usually the questions were about nutrition and cookbooks.

George Novak of Novak Electric Sign Company created a banner for us as a donation to VRG (he is a vegetarian). We had a three panel poster board featuring slides about livestock’s impact on the environment, with Vegetarian Journals and the VRG Save Our Water brochure in front. Most people were interested in picking up free items and browsing through cookbooks. On Sunday I stood to the side of the poster board and had some interesting discussions with people.

One woman turned out to be an ecology professor from Loyola University in Chicago who teaches a food systems class. She said her class is popular with the students and very well received by the school. I told her the slides were going to be available in a PowerPoint presentation on VRG’s website, and she seemed very interested in having access to that. She said environmental issues are extremely popular with the kids, and they are really responsive to any information related to that. I think the public’s increasing awareness about environmental issues will encourage many to explore vegetarian diets as part of the solution. It will be interesting to watch this unfold.

Thanks to Gretchen Chlebowski, Ashley Huser, Wilson Hur, Susan Hogan, Bruce Jones, Ross Kennedy, MSNW, RD, Julie Conry, Daniel Dunbar, Renee Dippel, and Eric Sharer, MPH, RD for volunteering for VRG at Chicago Green Fest!

by Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
VRG Research Director

Edible food coatings that resemble plastic food wrap, such as carnauba wax on apples or shellac in confectioner’s glaze, are not new to the food industry. These films are commonly used to improve food quality and food safety or to minimize packaging cost. Today, edible films are very common in the breath mint and cough and cold over-the-counter medicine industries, bringing in millions per year. They are also common in the meat and fish industries.

What is new in edible films are various substances being tested for their ability not only to protect and preserve foods but also to enhance flavor and physical appeal. In several test labs around the country, various films are being applied to many different kinds of foods ranging from chocolate to nuts to doughnuts, French fries, battered and breaded food products, vegetables including eggplant and mushrooms, and a host of packaged foods including breakfast cereals and freeze-dried products. Readers may find out more information at www.ediblefilms.org.

Of interest to vegans and those with certain religious restrictions on what they may consume are the sources of the new classes of edible food coatings. While many of the films being tested are derived from plant materials including corn zein or sodium alginate from seaweed, others are derived from dairy (whey) or crustacean (crab, shrimp) shells. Some films being tested contain several different components of plant and animal origins.

Dr. Tara McHugh, a scientist working in the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) division of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), has developed a number of edible films derived from common fruits and vegetables including apples and carrots. They are usually thinner than paper, flexible, and have good oxygen barrier properties. She is currently investigating anti-microbial films made with oregano oil and purees from broccoli, tomatoes, mangoes, or other produce.

While in graduate school at the University of California at Davis, she worked under Dr. John Krochta who is a leading researcher in perfecting whey-based films for a wide variety of foods. McHugh told The VRG, "No company that I know of is commercially producing foods in whey-based films."

A conversation with an Investigator (in food complaints) at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in April 2010 revealed a reason why whey-based films on some foods, especially produce, is unlikely. "Profit margins are very small in agriculture," she said. "Produce companies are reluctant to try anything new, especially when the economy is so poor, and hesitate to make new investments. It’s only when the investment will be sure to pad their profits, that they’ll try it." The investigator also noted that companies may hesitate to try whey-based films because of the additional regulations applicable to such a food product, including an allergy declaration required on its food’s package according to the Food Allergen and Labeling Consumer Protection Law of 2004. Such a declaration may hinder an otherwise acceptable product from being purchased by individuals with food allergies or those with religious proscriptions against certain foods/food combinations.

McHugh told us that California-based Origami Foods is an industry leader in developing vegetable- and fruit-based edible films. She has worked with Origami Foods’ president, Matthew de Bord, who is using and developing many of the films created by and/or with McHugh’s research team. de Bord uses them to create unique varieties of sushi…without raw fish or seaweed.

Origami Foods is looking for companies willing to invest in manufacturing a host of creations using the vegetable and fruit wraps. de Bord told The VRG that he’s created many of the recipes as well as the wraps himself, such as a strawberry wrap in the shape of a cone to encase chocolate cheesecake. An innovation on the wrap concept is forming them into bite-sized pouches for granola, dried fruit and chocolate chip mixes. "The possibilities for my fruit and vegetable wraps are endless," he told us. For more information, contact de Bord at www.origamifoods.com.

Keep tuned into our blog, Facebook, and Twitter, for more news and ingredient updates.

Pictures from Book Expo America in NYC last week! Thanks to Veronica Lizaola, Ashley Boss, and Karen Lazarus for helping us throughout the event as well!

by Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
VRG Research Director

In February 2010, a reader asked us about the ingredients contained in The Natural™ pizza line at Pizza Hut. This line was first introduced in 2008 in test markets and then became nationwide in 2009. A purchasing manager at Pizza Hut told us that The Natural™ pizza line was discontinued from the national menu although it may still be available at certain Pizza Hut restaurants. Those that may carry it are franchises, not corporate-owned restaurants.

While inquiring into The Natural™ pizza line, we asked customer service representatives for an update on ingredient sources, especially since the Pizza Hut Ingredient Statement is no longer available on its website. The last information we received from Pizza Hut was in May 2007, when we were told by a Quality Assurance Specialist at the Dallas Pizza Hut headquarters that Pizza Hut cheeses were made with a non-animal enzyme.

We spoke with several people on the toll-free consumer line throughout February 2010 and received contradictory information. One time in mid-February, a representative told us that animal rennet was used to make the cheese.

The VRG found this information dubious considering what we were told in 2007 by Pizza Hut. Furthermore, we were told by several major enzyme manufacturers in 2008 that microbial rennet accounted for 80-95% of all enzymes used in cheese making in the United States. Thus we continued to research the question.

In May 2010, The VRG received confirmation through a source in management at the Pizza Hut corporate level, who had in turn been told in writing by the only supplier of all six varieties of its cheeses, that the enzyme used to make its cheese was microbial. Chymax™ is the brand name of the microbial fermentation product used to curdle the milk during cheese production. Our contact told us that his search lasted three months and led him to contact many companies along the supply chain, starting with the six from which Pizza Hut purchases its six cheese types, until he finally got to the cheese maker itself. He told The VRG that both corporate and franchised Pizza Hut restaurants must use companies chosen from an approved list of suppliers.

To cross-confirm what our Pizza Hut contact told us, The VRG contacted the senior product development specialist that sent the letter to our Pizza Hut contact. She confirmed that only Chymax™ is used to make its cheeses. She also stated that her company provides cheese to "the big three" quick-service chains in the United States as well as many other major restaurant chains. The company also sells its cheese to many major food service providers and food distributors, some of whom re-label the cheese using their own name.

Note: There is a specially-blended mix of Parmesan cheese and spices automatically sprinkled on all pizzas in Pizza Hut kitchens. Customers may request that it (known as "fairy dust" by staff) be left off.

Potato Tofu Breakfast Hash for a Week

Thanks to VRG volunteer Linda for this recipe!

I like savory breakfasts, and something that will stick to my ribs for the long morning ahead. I make this on the weekend and divide into seven containers for easy microwaving each morning.

Ingredients:

• 3 small/medium potatoes, any kind
• 1 medium or large onion, diced
• 1.5 T. olive oil
• 12-16 ounces extra firm tofu, crumbled
• 3-4 cups steamed or otherwise cooked vegetables (or a mix) (asparagus, broccoli, corn, lima beans, peas, spinach, carrots, zucchini or other summer squash, etc.)
• 1 t. salt (more if desired)
• Sauce of your choice (pesto, enchilada, salsa, romesco, peanut, marinara, etc.)

Instructions:

1. Boil the potatoes in water for about 20-25 minutes until done (not too soft). Let cool, then grate them (you don’t have to peel them – the peel comes off as you grate them).
2. In a large pan (e.g., large frying pan or Dutch oven), sauté the diced onions in the olive oil until they start to turn golden.
3. Add in the grated potatoes, the crumbled tofu, the cooked vegetables, and salt. Stir gently until combined.
4. Divide into 7 containers for easy microwaving, and add your preferred sauce on top of each.

This recipe is infinitely flexible. You can substitute grain pilaf for the grated potatoes. You can try many combinations of vegetables and sauces.