The disgusting truth about rennet.

So last night, I finally got around to reading my Vegetarian Starter Kit from PETA that I ordered forever ago. Surprisingly, I found out that most cheeses are made with rennet. The rennet is found in the cow stomach and the cow is killed to get it. By my PERSONAL definition of being a vegetarian, and since I am veg for moral reasons (the health benefits are a bonus), that doesn't fit my definition.

I'm now struggling with eating cheese. Did anyone else know about this? Why isn't this information everywhere? What are your thoughts?

P.S. I know these forums can get pretty catty. I'm not judging anyone else's definition of the word or whether or not they are vegetarians. I realize this is something I need to decide for myself, I was just wondering what other people's reactions were.

Actually - if you google rennet - you will find that most American cheeses aren't made from the animal product but from substitutes.

I applaud a lot of PETA's aims but as with any source of information that has its own agenda - secondary information should always be sought.

Peace.

I do not think "most" cheeses are made with rennet any longer.  Perhaps doing some independent research of you own (and then reading labels/writing manufacturers) would help you decide about which if any cheeses you wish to eat.

I think I may be evolving to vegetarianism myself, though I will lacto-evo for sure.

 

Sadly, after googling around, most cheeses ARE made with rennet.  There are exceptions in some cottage cheeses, where buttermilk is used as coagulant instead of rennet. Here's a link to one dairy that claims to use non-animal enzymes for their range of cheeses, but they have a limited market area.  Also, they do not sell traditional melting-type cheeses like cheddar.  Farmer cheese is good, but not for grilled cheese sandwiches, au gratin, etc.   http://www.friendshipdairies.com/ 

In the spring I usually make up a batch of eggost.  This is a sweet egg/milk cheese which uses buttermilk as coagulant.  The texture is a lot like ricotta, with dry fine curds.  It's eaten fresh with cinnamon sprinkled on top.  I've made an unsweetened version which tastes OK as a side dish with savory seasonings instead of sweet.  But I don't think that this cheese would age well, and it lacks any melting properties. 

If you want to try making it, here's a recipe.  Good luck with the Norwegian! As a hint, you mix the ingredients, bring them to a boil, skim the curds and press the liquid whey out in a fine strainer or cheesecloth. 

 http://tradisjoner.no/oppskrift1661.html

In my experience only the more expensive cheddar is made with the traditional animal rennet. Cheaper cheddar is made without it. This is a general rule - obviously calfs-stomach rennet costs a bit more and the industry uses substitutes.

EDIT: PS: one thing to watch out for - ANY coagulant may be called rennet (depending on labelling regulations where you live). I've seen Stilton that had "vegetable rennet" on the label - and that is perfectly OK for lacto- types.

I'm not a vegetarian but my cousin is and I know he has no problems finding cheese made with vegetarian rennet - it's just a question of being careful and checking the label.

in ireland they would have the 'v' symbol to show that its not made with rennet, usually but definately not always. like avonmore's chedder & mozzarella are ok. but the dairy industry over here is a little different. i do have to say the dairy taste better over here, but can't really take too much. but i find it hard to find any "humane" (i use the term loosely but the type where the cows have some what of an ok life) milk except at a sat market near where i live.  depending on where you live there are veg sites out there that will tell you what brands are ok.

I read somewhere that cheeses made in Europe are more likely to be made with animal rennet than in the US.  In the US, most rennet is now made by genetically modified bacteria because it is cheaper.  According to this paper, about a third of all cheese worldwide is made with microbial rennet.  That figure is likely to continue to grow for economic reasons.

If the cow is being killed anyway for hamburger... why not?  Seems like not using the rennet would be a waste, as long as the cow is being killed in a humane manner.

i guess i see your point bwca, but that goes against my belief as a moral vegetarian. I could just as easily say that the cow is already being killed for the beef, why not eat the beef? I am a vegetarian for moral reasons, the health benefits are purely a bonus.

I guess I need to do more research on the subject. I did find lots of cheeses online that do not contain animal rennet, but I read that it's hard to really know because "rennet" isn't listed as an ingredient. Most times the label just says "enzymes." And then it's impossible to tell where it came from. Until I truly decide I will finish off the items I have at home that contain it and not buy anymore until I make a decision.

Original Post by bwca_babe:

If the cow is being killed anyway for hamburger... why not?  Seems like not using the rennet would be a waste, as long as the cow is being killed in a humane manner.

i know what you're saying & i agree on some level, but technically vegetarians (im a pescatarian but was a veg) are not supposed to eat any animal parts (not including the dairy or unfert eggs if ovo lacto). but i do not want to start the whole debate about 0% impact. its just something that veg's don't want to consume.

Yeah, I get what you're saying completely.  I'm a vegetarian (but not out of sympathy for the animals, it's more of a global awareness thing), but not very strict about it.  The rest of my family eats meat, but only from organic, farm-raised, humanely-killed animals... I think that's perfectly fine, but way too expensive for everyday consumption.  Otherwise, those pictures of chicken farms and such bug the heck out of me.

I think what I was trying to say was that the whole rennet issue has to be put into perspective: why boycott the stomach when you can't save the whole cow?

Original Post by bwca_babe:

Yeah, I get what you're saying completely.  I'm a vegetarian (but not out of sympathy for the animals, it's more of a global awareness thing), but not very strict about it.  The rest of my family eats meat, but only from organic, farm-raised, humanely-killed animals... I think that's perfectly fine, but way too expensive for everyday consumption.  Otherwise, those pictures of chicken farms and such bug the heck out of me.

I think what I was trying to say was that the whole rennet issue has to be put into perspective: why boycott the stomach when you can't save the whole cow?

 that's great that your family tries to do that & i know it can be expensive.

but as for vegs, i think its not just about boycotting the stomach, but i think technically if your a veg you probably shouldn't eat any animal parts, technically as far as the definition goes that is.

there are all sorts of grey issues with it & i guess that's why some people's opinion about what exactly the definition is of what a veg should & should not do, differ.

 

Sorry that I don't know the answer to your question, but you could try soy cheese. I like soy cheese a lot (only problem is that there are not many varieties of it), and it is not too much more expensive than "regular" cheese. 

I know that most veg's who are vegetarian for moral reasons would probably take issue with paying for something that an animal was slaughtered for. Yes the cow was already killed for the beef, and by paying for beef you are supporting the meat industry and the slaughtering of cows. By purchasing the cheese made with rennet, you are giving money to that industry as well.

I don't take issue with the use of rennet since the animal has been slaughtered anyway so they might as well make the most of it. It works out well for people who choose to eat it. However I, as an ethical vegetarian, certain don't want to be paying for them to do it....

Well a bunch of people basically answered this, but I wanted to voice out that to me, PETA seems like a place that gives out a little too much propaganda. It's intention is good, but many times they go a little overboard and sometimes even stretch the truth. Nothing against them, I support PETA's actions, but you have to be selective about what you believe with them. To me, anyway.

You'll find there are a lot of animal by-products in common foods and other products.   Isinglass, for example, is used as a clarifying agent in wine-making and comes from fish.  Gelatin which is found in a lot of sweets, yoghurts, ice-creams, chewing gum and other foods is an animal product.   There's a red colouring called cochineal which is derived from beetles.  Some people decide that they'll stay away from the more obvious animal products (meat, fish) and turn a blind eye to the others for reasons of practicality.  Others leave them out all together. Depends on how rigid you want to be really.

If you have a moral dilemma with the rennet in cheese, switch to Kosher cheese. It's not allowed to have any meat products, only milk. Kosher food isn't allowed to mix meat and dairy, also known as death and life (meat can only be taken from a dead animal, milk can only be taken from a live animal).

Thanks for all the replies. To gi-jane - yes I am very aware of other animal products used in lots of other foods, drinks, etc. My boyfriend is a vegan, so I get that. Fortunately (I guess), the moral dilemma solved itself when my body suddenly began "rejecting" cheese. I became lactose intolerant about a month ago. I thought it was strange, but my personal theory is that because I had cut out the majority of dairy products in my diet already that my body decided it wasn't important to continue producing lactase (to aid in the digestion of lactose.)

I think that if you are a vegetarian who goes out of their way to avoid things like gelatin, then rennet also falls in that category. But there are several "levels" of vegetarianism. And I get that. Just please don't call yourself a Veg*n if you eat fish. Argh.

On the topic of PETA, I also agree with pretty much everything said on here. I am a true believer in incrementalism. I think that if we want people to follow suit and sign on for the abolition of animal deaths for human consumption we must take BABY steps.