vegan Nestlé chocolate bars Aero, Kit Kat

[Im Your Man]

I think now there are some vegan Aero as well as vegan Kit Kat... Well I ate some so hopefully they were vegan. Apparently they are:

 

http://www.nestle.ca/en/products/brands/Aero/dark.htm

 

http://www.nestle.ca/en/products/brands/KitKat/dark.htm?subGroup=Chocolates

 

There are many chocolate candy bars labelled as ''dark chocolate'' but still containing modified milk ingredients, but those two are ''70% cocoa'' without milk... or ''may contain '' some, as written...

 

Anyways, of course its better to eat real dark chocolate (also organic and fair trade) rather than candy bars with so much sugar. Or even better, to not eat chocolate at all, as for I don't think its healthy.

[Marcina]

Dark chocolate is actually very good for you if you get the right stuff. Organic fair-trade chocolate is the only stuff I consume. High cocoa content is important if you want to reap the benefits of dark chocolate.

[xphilx]

you are aware of the fact that nestlé is doing animal testing, right?

[Nathan Nearing]

Why bother with Nestlè when you can just grab a Clif or Probar? I'd rather support those companies than a monster like Nestlè.

[Pegesus]

Maybe its just me but it's one thing to say that something is processed in a facility where milk is, it's another to say that something may contain milk or dairy products.

[xphilx]

no, it's not. it's actually exactly the same thing.

[Vegan Joe]

If the bars were made for vegans, or were they just made for lactose intolerant people.

If they were giving vegans "press", I would say YAHOO, otherwise it would still almost be the same. Of course the more that are bought will accounts for less suffering, so?

[Anji]

Nestle are a really bad company, they exploit people in the 3rd world, not to mention the animal testing.

[medman]

I`m not a fan of Nestle, but I will chime in on the `may contain`vs `may contain traces of...`

 

The message that something may contain TRACES means it`s made in the same facility, so for people with severe allergies, there`s no guarantee that there aren`t some milk or peanut proteins (or whatever food is listed), so it`s a matter of safety to stay away from them.

 

If you`re worried that there might be a couple of milk protein molecules in your chocolate bar, you had better be washing your hands before eating anything, because you`re picking up similar levels of animal proteins just by touching tables, doorknobs, etc.

[Im Your Man]

Nestle are a really bad company, they exploit people in the 3rd world, not to mention the animal testing.

Not that I dont believe you, but what kind of animal testing they do ? Feeding rabbits with chocolate, ice tea and ice cream, cover their skin with it ?

[xphilx]

they're owning 50% of l'oreal. now finally stop buying their shit.

[xjohanx]

Damn I wish I had those here in Sweden. Or actually I'm kinda happy we don't cause I can keep my low body fat but you get the idea.

[cubby2112]

What company owns what is a tricky thing to navigate. Here is a list I found on Jeff Novick's forum.

 

• Adams Baking is owned by Charter Baking Co.

• After the Fall is owned by Smuckers

• Arrowhead Mills is owned by the Hain Celestial Food Group

• Back to Nature is owned by Kraft, which is owned by Philip Morris

• Ben & Jerry's is owned by Unilever

• Boca Burgers are owned by Kraft Foods which is owned by Philip Morris.

• Burt’s Bees is owned by AEA Investors

• Cascadian Farms is owned by Small Planet Foods, which is owned by General Mills.

• Celestial Seasonings is owned by the Hain Celestial Food Group

• DeBoles is owned by the Hain Celestial Food Group

• Earth's Best is owned by the Hain Celestial Food Group

• Garden of Eatin' is owned by the Hain Celestial Food Group

• Health Valley is owned by the Hain Celestial Food Group

• Horizon Organic is owned by Dean Foods

• Jason's Natural Cosmetics is owned by the Hain Celestial Food Group

• Kashi is owned by Kellogg.

• Lightlife (purveyors of Gimme Lean, Smart Dogs, Foney Boloney, and Smart Deli Slices) is owned by ConAgra,

• Morningstar Farms is owned by Kellogg

• Mountain Sun is owned by Walnut Acres, which is owned by the Hain Celestial Food Group

• Muir Glen is owned by Small Planet Foods, which is owned by General Mills.

• Nantucket Nectars is owned by Cadbury Schweppes

• Nile Spice is owned by the Hain Celestial Food Group

• Odwalla Juice is owned by Coca-Cola.

• Organic Cow of Vermont is owned by Horizon, which is owned by Dean Foods

• Rudy’s Organic Bakery is owned by Charter Baking Co.

• R.W. Knudsen is owned by Smuckers

• Imagine Foods (Rice Dream) is owned by the Hain Celestial Food Group

• Santa Cruz Organics is owned by Smuckers

• Seeds of Change is owned by M&M Mars Candy.

• Simply Asian is owned by McCormack & Co.

• Spectrum Organics is owned by the Hain Celestial Food Group

• Stonyfield Farm is owned by Danone

• Terra Chips is owned by the Hain Celestial Food Group

• Thai Kitchen is owned by McCormack & Co.

• Tom's of Maine is owned by Colgate

• Tostitas Organic is owned by Pepsi

• The Vermont Bread Company is owned by Charter Baking Co.

• Walnut Acres is owned by the Hain Celestial Food Group

• Westbrae Natural is owned by the Hain Celestial Food Group

• Westsoy is owned by the Hain Celestial Food Group

• White Wave (makers of Silk Soy Milk) is owned Dean Foods

• Worthington Foods is owned by Kellogg

• Yves Veggie Cuisine is owned by Hain Celestial Food Group

[VeganEssentials]

I`m not a fan of Nestle, but I will chime in on the `may contain`vs `may contain traces of...`

 

The message that something may contain TRACES means it`s made in the same facility, so for people with severe allergies, there`s no guarantee that there aren`t some milk or peanut proteins (or whatever food is listed), so it`s a matter of safety to stay away from them.

 

If you`re worried that there might be a couple of milk protein molecules in your chocolate bar, you had better be washing your hands before eating anything, because you`re picking up similar levels of animal proteins just by touching tables, doorknobs, etc.

 

Exactly.

 

What many vegans don't realize is, it can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to set up a dedicated dairy-free production facility for making chocolate. How many companies OTHER than the big-business types that are owned by major corporations can afford this? Not many, that's for sure, otherwise, there would definitely be more. There's Plamil in the UK, Tropical Source is made in Israel in a dedicated dairy-free facility, but other than that, it's not easy to find anyone who makes chocolate that isn't contracted to someone who also produces dairy chocolate as well. Equipment is steam-cleaned between production runs, but as the USA is a litigous society, the disclaimer prevents those who might have either allergies or religious reasons for avoiding dairy from having a legal foot to stand on if they were to try and sue. That's just the way it goes here.

 

If you EVER eat at a restaurant that's not 100% vegan, you're getting more cross-contamination from food prep there via utensils, the cook's hands, cookware, grills, etc. than you'll ever get from chocolate made on shared equipment.

 

That being said...

 

(as usual, I have plenty more to say about all this!)

 

Nestle does suck. They likely do stupid testing like M&M Mars candy co. does, crap that's cruel and completely unnecessary. Most (if not all) Skittles are now vegan again here in the USA, however, M&M Mars did terrible things in animal research. This includes force-feeding mice sweets while they were forced to swim for their lives in buckets of paint, basically stuffing them beyond capacity and waiting to see how long it would take before they'd drown. Now, I don't know about anyone else, but I don't foresee being in the mood to consume my weight in candy while being stuck in a giant vat of Marth Stewart semi-gloss latex interior. That's the kind of crap that makes the big companies really bad sometimes - it's almost as if they WANT to find a reason to perform stupid and cruel tests, and they'll come up with some outlandish stuff just for the sake of "proving something".

 

Finally, like cubby2112 pointed out, many "natural" foods companies were bought out long ago by mega-corporations. Studies that I've read via trade journals and industry publications showed, it was far more lucrative for large corporations to pay hefty prices for the brand recognition and reputation of smaller, independent brands than to try and make their own lines (people distrust the big names, but would still trust the small brands they'd come to love). They'd snatch up the little companies, bring them under their roof, and reap the benefits of not having to openly show that they were simply trying to cash in on the "natural" movement, rather, keeping their ownership as covert as possible. Keep the products the same, the packaging the same, and let the consumers believe nothing is different, except that the funds are now going to a billion-dollar corporation vs. a small, independent manufacturer. That's been the way things have gone this past decade, and it's likely the way that they'll keep going in the future.