 Masterfoods' brands are household names
|
Some of the UK's best-selling chocolate bars, such as Mars and Twix, will no longer be suitable for vegetarians.
Also affecting brands such as Snickers and Maltesers,
owner Masterfoods said it had started to use animal product rennet to
make its chocolate products.
Masterfoods said the change was due to it switching the
sourcing of its ingredients and the admission was a "principled
decision" on its part.
The Vegetarian Society said the company's move was "incomprehensible".
'Extremely disappointed'
Masterfoods said it had started using rennet from 1 May and non-affected products had a "best before date" up to 1 October.
 |
 Masterfoods' decision to use non-vegetarian whey is a backward step 
|
Rennet, a chemical sourced from calves' stomachs, is used in the production of whey.
It will now also be found in Bounty, Minstrels and Milky Way products, and the ice cream versions of all Masterfoods' bars.
"If the customer is an extremely strict vegetarian, then
we are sorry the products are no longer suitable, but a less strict
vegetarian should enjoy our chocolate," said Paul Goalby, corporate
affairs manager for Masterfoods.
The Vegetarian Society said it was "extremely disappointed".
"At a time when more and more consumers are concerned
about the provenance of their food, Masterfoods' decision to use
non-vegetarian whey is a backward step," it said in a statement.
"Mars products are very popular with young people and
many will be shocked to discover that their manufacture now relies on
the extraction of rennet from the stomach lining of young calves," it
added.
