SOFT DRINKS WITH HIDDEN ANIMAL BY-PRODUCTS !!

Gelatine is a sticky area for strict vegetarians. Some yoghurts, mousses and sweets can be obvious prime suspects, the same going for many commercial wines and beers. More insidious however, because it is less well publicised, is the use of gelatine in the manufacture of soft drinks. Gelatine can be used to clarify fruit juices(making them clear rather than cloudy) as well as added to the final product to stabilise beta-carotene, which is often used as a orange/yellow colouring agent.



A VSI member has been in touch with the Society to alert us to examples of some drinks that are not suitable for vegetarian consumption (these are manufactured by Coca Cola and listed on their website:



Coca Cola says:

It is important to note that some of our products contain minute traces of fish gelatine, which is used as a stabiliser for the beta-carotene colour. These products are:

*Fanta Orange and Fanta Zero Orange

*Lilt and Lilt Zero

*Five Alive Squash Citrus Burst

*Five Alive Squash Tropical Hit

*Kia-Ora Orange Squash and Kia-Ora Orange Squash no added sugar

*Kia-Ora Orange & Pineapple Squash and

*Kia-Ora Orange & Pineapple Squash no added sugar

*Minute Maid Orange & Passionfruit with Calcium

*Schweppes Slimline Orange Crush

*Schweppes Deuce no added sugar Orange & Guava



Given the difficulty in obtaining reliable information from companies or their packaging, the best advice for avoiding gelatine in sofe drinks is probably to steer clear of those listing beta-carotene and/or apple juice as ingredients.

http://www.coca-cola.co.uk/fag/

"egetarian Society UK Soft Drinks and Gelatine" Spring/

Summer 1994,http://www.vegsoc.org/Food/gelatine.html/