Undercover Investigation Reveals Non-Vegan Food at Vegan Restaurants in Los Angeles
Ever felt like that crispy soy chicken just tasted too good to be true? The people behind quarrygirl.com, with the help of a tipster named Mr. Wishbone (it gets crazier) started an investigation into vegan restaurants in the Los Angeles area. Out of these seventeen restaurants, seven failed their tests that detected non-vegan-friendly traces of egg, casein, and shellfish. Relying on stringent testing practices and anti-contamination methods, the reporting extended further when they decided to contact the vegan restaurant supplier, Taiwanese manufacturer, and finally the Taiwanese government itself. Over a thousand of their own dollars later, the reporters had some disturbing answers. The good news? Today, Taiwan introduced new legislation to better regulate food product labeling.
The people behind quarrygirl.com also posted a follow-up answering some of the commenters' doubts and questions. Although this was an amateur investigation, it was still incredibly thorough, thoughtful, and an example of bloggers doing some great work. One of my favorite parts of this operation (besides the awesome investigative reporting of course)? Its name: Operation Pancake. [via Waxy.org]
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17 Comments:
I'm not vegan or vegetarian, but I can't help but think that this is so wrong. I mean, it would be one thing if it was a regular restaurant and they didn't realize that an ingredient wasn't vegan. But I'd hope that a serious vegan restaurant would be a little more stringent when buying supplies.
Or is there just one vegan restaurant supplier, and vegan restaurants all over have the same problem?
dbcurrie at 5:41PM on 07/01/09
@dbcurrie - according to quarrygirl, most of it comes from Taiwan? but i dont know how many manufacturers there are there and whether this only applies to LA-based restaurants
also i feel like there's so much processing involved in this kind of food that it makes me sad
Grace Kang at 5:53PM on 07/01/09
As a vegetarian, of course I'm upset, but it's not going to make me 'change my ways' out of despair--and I disagree that vegetarian food is all 'processed,' at least, no more so than industrialized meat.
I'm sure that I have occasionally ingested small amounts of animal products--heck, even bugs since trace amounts are allowed in foods--but just because you can't be 'perfect' about a dietary practice isn't a reason to give it up entirely.
HeartofGlass at 6:12PM on 07/01/09
this was super thorough... I commend the initiative and the effort.
I bet if we did the same thing in Puerto Rico, all restaurants would be guilty of contaminants. But we do not have an actual VEGAN-labeled restaurant here, that I know of. That's why I have friends who refuse to eat at restaurants anymore. I am not there yet... but I know I am exposing myself everyday to things I wish and know I do not want in my system.
MadelynRodriguez at 6:53PM on 07/01/09
I think it's ridiculous to imagine that you'll never eat animal products at some point. It should be thought of as a guiding principle. I know what makes the most difference here in LA is getting to know hte owner and his/her sense of commitment to a vegan/veg lifestyle.
dzhughes at 7:11PM on 07/01/09
Of all the problems in today's world, this is cause for immediate concern? Excuse me while I don't panic.
buffy at 7:50PM on 07/01/09
i find this pretty upsetting. i'm not vegan, but i AM allergic to dairy and eggs so i find myself eating a lot of vegan food because it's often easier. trace amounts of casein, whey, egg, etc. make me sick!
ellenp7 at 7:52PM on 07/01/09
@dzhughes but that's exactly the point. A strong vegetarian/vegan talking point is there is no need to eat animals and many people don't want to. It is absolutely reasonable to think that a vegan product does not contain animal products - it is advertised as such.
@buffy which of the worlds problems are you worrying about then?
I eat lots of animals these days but I remember going to dim sum in boston's chinatown - asking 'is that vegetarian' always yielded a 'yes.' True the dumpling had veggies in it - it also had at least has shrimp if not pork or beef and almost everything had meat broth or fish sauce. Its reasonable to think you have to put your beliefs on hold there, but not if its a vegetarian/vegan joint.
christopher at 8:29PM on 07/01/09
HAHAHAHA!!!
Ok, if you have some kind of severe allergy, yeah, this is upseting, but hey, vegans?
cry me a fuckin' river.
sailordave at 8:51PM on 07/01/09
i truly believe that some people have allergies, etc.... and personal choices for moral reasons or health reasons.... and i'm pretty particular on how and what i eat .... i deal with people in a service industry .... primarily in a health-food type situation .... and yet some of these people can drive me nuts.
that said .....
i don't think it's right to misrepresent the ingredients in food, at all.
that's a food crime which should be punishable by being beaten with a shirataki noodle!
pooch at 10:54PM on 07/01/09
i'm with sailordave 100% on this one
gastronomeg at 9:30AM on 07/02/09
Congratulations youre pregnant, um, I mean your food is tainted!
CATERPILLARGIRL at 10:20AM on 07/02/09
I understand if you're allergic how this could be a big problem, but what are we talking about with "trace amounts"? I think just about everything I eat has the warning about peanuts & tree nuts on it.
Secondly, ugh, "vegan cheese"? If you're going to be vegan... YOU DON'T EAT CHEESE! I'm totally with you on not wanting to eat animals/animal products, but then don't make replacements! There are so many vegetables in the world and ways to cook them, can't you stick with that? Whole foods are better for you than processed crap anyway.
Sorry, I guess I just have a hard time with vegans who are vegans to not hurt the animals, but put total crap in their own bodies; does not compute.
anysuchname at 10:53AM on 07/02/09
i'm curious if comments like @sailordave's and @buffy's would be made in response to this story if this had been an investigation into Kosher restaurants and about Orthodox Jews rather than vegans.
An establishment shouldn't be permitted to mislead patrons like this - they surely generate their revenue through appeal that comes from labeling themselves as a vegan restaurant so umm be vegan.
nithya at hungrydesi at 11:21AM on 07/02/09
re: Nithya - yes, and the comments would be just as funny. If you decide to live a life of culinary self-deprivation, you deserve to be the object of ridicule.
Doctrine at 11:19AM on 07/03/09
Like many other vegans, I felt betrayed by the restaurants claiming they were vegan and were not. Quarrygirl did a great service to the vegetarian community. I can't help but think this will force those restaurants to clean up they're act.
I assure our customers at SunPower Natural Organic cafe that we're 100% vegan. Our 3 owners are all long time vegans. We don't use "fake" meats and we make almost everything from scratch. SunPower Vegan Restaurant Los Angeles
veganla at 3:19AM on 07/23/09
Is it possible that the tap water could be a source of the shellfish reading? I know here in NYC there are miniscule crustacians that cause some strict Kosher families to avoid drinking it.
LawGeek at 3:32PM on 08/18/09