Bad News: Not All Cheese Is Vegetarian (2024)

FAQs

Bad News: Not All Cheese Is Vegetarian? ›

Naturally, you opt for a dish with cheese. But did you know you still may be eating food that has traces of an animal in it? Yes, that's right: Not all cheese is entirely vegetarian. Many cheeses are made with animal rennet, which comes from the fourth lining of the stomach of ruminant animals, usually a young calf.

Although there are different types of vegetarians, cheese is often considered vegetarian-friendly. However, certain cheeses contain animal rennet, which contains enzymes commonly sourced from the lining of animal stomachs.

As not all cheese products will be vegetarian-friendly, it's always a good idea to check the ingredients/food label first – if the packaging states that the product contains traditional rennet (plant, thistle or vegetarian rennet is fine), pepsin, animal enzymes (or simply just 'enzymes') it won't be suitable for ...

Most stomach-derived rennet is taken from the fourth stomach of young, unweaned calves. These animals are not killed expressly for their rennet; rather they are killed for meat production (in this case, veal) and the rennet is a byproduct.

So Why Isn't Parmesan Cheese Vegetarian? This answer is encapsulated in one word: rennet. Specifically animal rennet, collected from slaughtered cows, goats or other young, milk-fed ruminant animals.

Most folks are ok with traditional rennet, which is derived from the stomach lining of animals (remember – no animal is ever sacrificed only for rennet). However, some choose to stick with “vegetarian” cheeses, which use plant-based or synthetic rennet to coagulate the milk.

Younger, soft cheeses like mozzarella, cottage cheese, cream cheese, ricotta, goat, and provolone often are not made with rennet. However, this isn't an exhaustive list, so be sure to read your labels carefully!.

Cheeses That Don't Use Rennet

"Many softer styles of cheese like mozzarella, paneer, ricotta, and cream cheese use whey or another type of acid as their coagulant instead of rennet, so they will be safe for vegetarians," says Birnbaum.

If you're wondering does mozzarella cheese have Rennet, the answer is both yes and no. You can pick an animal-based or plant-based mozzarella. In contrast, rennet-free mozzarella cheese has a mild flavor and a soft texture ideal for creating panini or pizzas.

“Calf stomachs are ground and then soaked in an enzyme extraction solution,” which makes the end products not vegetarian by most standards. While all cheeses labeled Parmigiano-Reggiano definitely contain animal-derived rennet, Parmesan can go either way.

How is rennet removed? ›

The stomachs are deep-frozen, turned into powder, and then put in a special solution. Acid is added to activate the enzymes, a job usually done by stomach acid, and then the acid is neutralized. After being filtered many times, animal rennet extract is what is left.

So, when he is taken away from her, both mother and calf can often be heard calling out for each other for hours. In heart-wrenching scenes, cows have been witnessed chasing after a trailer carrying their calf away. Mothers have been known to grieve for days after their calf is removed, bellowing loudly in distress.

Traditional mozzarella is not vegetarian. This is because it contains rennet. Rennet is an enzyme harvested from slaughtered calf stomach. There are different definitions of being a vegetarian, but all that I found exclude products of the slaughterhouse in the vegetarian diet.

In the traditional sense, Parmesan cheese is made using rennet. Rennet is a natural enzyme found in the stomach of young mammals that helps them digest their mother's milk. Since rennet is a restricted, or haram, ingredient in a Muslim's diet, traditionally made Parmesan is not halal.

The reason is because classic basil pesto contains pecorino and Parmigiano-Reggiano, which are both made from milk curdled in animal rennet. That means that most of the pesto sauces you see on supermarket shelves are not vegetarian.

Traditional Brie is made with rennet, an enzyme harvested from the stomach lining of young calves. This is not to say that vegetarian-friendly versions of Brie cheese are unavailable for purchase. Such cheeses use non-animal rennet or microbial enzymes.

- Ruminant animal's stomach contains an enzyme known as rennet enzymes. This enzyme helps the milk to coagulate and separates into curd and whey. - This is the reason cheese was not considered vegetarian food a long time back.

Most goat cheeses are considered vegetarian-friendly, however, some may contain animal rennet. Hard goat cheeses like feta, asiago, and cheddar are generally safe, but check the ingredients list to be sure. Soft varieties like chevre and Boursin may contain animal rennet so it's best to confirm before consuming.

As Windsor explains, traditionally, rennet is extracted from the abomasum (fourth chamber of the stomach) of a ruminant, usually a calf, lamb, or kid. "This rennet is a complex blend of enzymes that is very good at coagulating milk. It is this form of rennet that is not vegetarian-friendly.

Rennet has traditionally been used to separate milk into solid curds and liquid whey, used in the production of cheeses. Rennet from calves has become less common for this use, to the point that less than 5% of cheese in the United States is made using animal rennet today.