The question of whether Oreos are vegan depends on how you look at it. While some people will merely check the label, others will go as far as unearthing its production process and further to the production of its ingredients. So where would you draw the line to qualify Oreo as vegan?
Oreo’s Ingredients
- Wheat flour
- Sugar
- Palm oil
- Low-fat cocoa powder
- Wheat starch
- Glucose-fructose syrup
- Baking agent
- Salt
- Palm kernel oil
- Emulsifiers
- Flavor
Why might Oreos be non-vegan?
Vegan eyebrows are raised from a small phrase on the label that reads “Can contain milk”. Really?
This actually sheds light on Oreo’s production process. Oreo is produced alongside other non-vegan snacks that have milk as their ingredient. Perhaps, they are all produced using the same equipment! OK, this is an assumption. But yes, how else would vegan Oreo contain traces of milk? Milk allergics have to be warned, you know, and vegans too.
Up to this point, your vegan senses are left to decide whether Oreo is vegan or not.
The other big debate
*Is palm oil vegan?
Well, we need to know that because Oreo is made with non-organic palm oil as a vital ingredient. Palm oil harvesting is what raises questions about it being vegan as animals lose their habitats in the process.
Check out these two videos explaining the issues concerning palm oil:
Therefore, is veganism all about not using animal products or about reducing their suffering as much as possible?
If you asked me whether Oreos are vegan, I would say “technically – yes” because no animal-derived ingredient is in the product. However, non-organic palm oil brings devastating damage to the rainforests, taking away wild animals’ habitat. From this perspective, I wouldn’t label Oreos as vegan.
Well, again your vegan senses, should guide you to an answer.
However, you may want to be safe from all this Kraft Foods’ Oreo fuss. Why not prepare your own delicious “Oreo” following this recipe?
Being all that said, do you think Oreos are vegan?