| Fancy a change? Vegetarian Options at your Co-op
What is a Vegetarian?
What is a Vegan?
Responsible Retailing - The Co-op and Vegetarians - What makes us different?
Criteria for Co-op vegetarian products
The health benefits of a vegetarian diet
Hints for a healthier diet
Vegetarian Recipes
Product Lists
Vegetarian Society Website
Vegan Society Website
This information is also available on request in large print or Braille.
Use the e-mail address at the bottom of the page to register your request.
What is a Vegetarian?
A vegetarian does not eat meat, poultry or fish or any other ingredient which involves the killing of animals. Eggs, milk and dairy products (including cheese made using non-animal rennet) are eaten, complemented by a wide range of fruit, vegetables, nuts, pulses and grains. For a full list of Co-op Brand products that are suitable for vegetarians click here.
What is a Vegan?
Vegans go further than vegetarians and avoid any products which have been produced by animals, such as eggs, milk and honey. For a full list of Co-op Brand products that are suitable for vegans click here.
Responsible Retailing - The Co-op and Vegetarians - What makes us different?
The Co-op is owned and controlled by it's members - ordinary customers, not big city investors. This means we are ideally placed to understand the concerns of our customers.
As a consumer-owned retailer, our agenda is driven by your concerns. Our Co-op Brand products exemplify our responsible retailing approach, and our vegetarian products are no exception. For more information on the Co-op's responsible retailing initiatives click here.
When the Co-op develops new products it uses ingredients that are suitable for vegetarians wherever possible.
Co-op products which are suitable for vegetarians can be identified by our roundel on the front of the pack.
This symbol means that we have checked all the ingredients thoroughly and that the food is suitable for lacto-ovo vegetarians (vegetarians who eat milk and eggs). We do not put this symbol on foods that are obviously suitable for vegetarians e.g. fruit or rice.
At the Co-op we go further than most other retailers and also label if a product is suitable for vegans.
Here are some of the initiatives that make the Co-op different to other retailers.
- The Co-op is the only UK retailer to give information about ingredients and processing aids on its own brand wines, as well as other all other alcoholic drinks, although this is actually against the law. This was introduced in 1998 as part of the Co-op's honest labelling campaign. Information of this kind is particularly relevant to people who may suffer an allergic reaction, for example, to sulphur dioxide, which is used to stop some wines going off, or to vegetarians and vegans, who may want to avoid drinking wine which has been made using animal products. We state on the back of the label if the product is suitable for vegetarians or vegans.
- The Co-op also leads the way in terms of egg source labelling on own label food products. On any Co-op Brand food product labelled as suitable for vegetarians but containing egg, we label where the egg originated, for example, egg white (from caged hens). This information is helpful for strict vegetarians, who will only eat free range eggs or products containing egg using eggs from free range sources.
- Some products that appear to be suitable for vegetarians are, in fact, unsuitable. Common misconceptions surround products which contain cheese, which aren't automatically suitable for vegetarians, because the cheese may have been made using animal rennet. Unlike other manufacturers and retailers, we highlight this on the ingredients label to alert vegetarians. For more information on cheese click here.
- When developing Co-op Brand health and beauty products and household cleaning lines, we actively try to avoid using animal ingredients, and label this on the back of the products with "No Animal Ingredients".
- For Example: The beads in the Co-op's new body wash range are made of alginate, whereas other beaded products on the UK market use gelatine beads. Despite the technical and commercial problems in using alginate (more delicate, harder to handle and more expensive), we felt it was important to maintain our animal ingredient free offering.
- Where an animal ingredient has been used in a non-food product, we not only state that the product contains an animal ingredient, but also what that ingredient is. For example, the Co-op is the only supermarket chain to state on camera film "Like all photographic film, contains animal ingredient - gelatine".
- We also provide comprehensive lists of Co-op Brand products suitable for people who choose to follow either a vegetarian or vegan diet.
We display good news messages on our in-store Honest Food Point of Sale. Here are some examples.
Criteria for Co-op Vegetarian Products
When Co-op products are labelled "Suitable for Vegetarians" you can be sure that the following criteria have been met.
- No meat, poultry or fish.
- No meat or bone stock.
- No animal fats (e.g. Lard or suet)
- No animal oils (e.g. Fish oils)
- No gelatine (this is made from animal bones, hides and horns or fish)
- No food additives of animal origin (e.g. Cochineal (E120) a colour made from insects)
- No Worcestershire Sauce ( if it contains anchovies)
- No vitamins derived from animals (e.g. Vitamin D3)
- No whey/whey powder, unless made without an animal derived rennet
- No cheese, unless made without an animal derived rennet.
- No alcohol where animal ingredients or processing aids are used in its manufacture (e.g. Gelatine and isinglass).
The Health Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet
Today's recommendations for a healthy diet include advice to eat more fruit and vegetables (at least 5 portions a day), and more starchy carbohydrate foods, like bread, pasta, rice, cereals and potatoes. This advice can correspond well with a vegetarian diet.
Research has shown that vegetarians tend to have a lower incidence of heart disease, strokes and certain cancers.
The key to a nutritionally balanced diet, whether it be that of a meat eater or a vegetarian is to select as wide a range of foods as possible. Vegetarians who merely remove the meat from the centre of their plate, and then rely heavily on foods such as chips and cheese, are unlikely to see the benefits of the lower fat, higher fibre diet that can be achieved by an imaginative vegetarian.
Hints for a Healthier Diet
Do not assume that a vegetarian diet is automatically low in fat. Vegetarians should:
- Switch to lower fat alternatives (e.g. Semi-skimmed or skimmed milk, low fat cheese and reduced fat spreads).
- Use fats sparingly in cooking.
- Remember that cheese is high in fat (especially saturated fat), and so should be used in moderation.
- Try pulses, grains and vegetables as lower fat, higher fibre alternatives to meat
For vegetarians who miss meat there are meat substitutes (TVP-Textured Vegetable Protein, Quorn or Tofu) which are ideal for substituting into recipes which traditionally contain meat e.g. spaghetti bolognese or shepherds pie.
Some people are concerned as to whether a vegetarian will get enough protein. It is true that plant foods are lower in protein than animal foods and that the protein is in a less utilizable form, but an adequate intake of protein is not difficult to achieve with a varied vegetarian diet.
Vegetarians should remember that iron from plant sources is not as well absorbed as iron from meat. Care is needed where iron requirements are high.
- Vitamin C helps iron absorption, so eat foods such as oranges and grapefruits, peppers and tomatoes with your meal.
- Tea and coffee contain tannin which reduces absorption. Avoid drinking these with meals.
- Eat plenty of iron rich foods - bread (especially wholemeal), flour, fortified breakfast cereals, eggs, pulses, potatoes, green leafy vegetables.
A healthy vegetarian diet can be rather bulky. This can be a problem for young children who have small stomachs and high energy needs. A vegetarian diet for young children should therefore include energy rich foods, such as full fat milk, cheese, nuts and seeds.
Co-op Brand Product Lists for Vegetarians and Vegans
For copies of these lists contact customer relations on 0800 0686 727.
For more vegetarian information you can visit the Vegetarian Society Website by clicking on the link below, or write to them at:
The Vegetarian Society
Parkdale
Dunham Road
Altrincham
Cheshire
WA14 4QG
Tel: 0161 925 2000
For more information for Vegans you can visit the Vegan Society Website by clicking on the link below or write to them at:
The Vegan Society
Donald Watson House
7 Battle Road
St Leonards-on-Sea
East Sussex
TN37 7AA
Tel: 01424 427 393
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