Wrigley Products and Animal Derived Ingredients

On Mon, Feb 22, 2010 at 9:00 AM, <PR@wrigley.com> wrote:
Dear Ali,

Thank you for contacting the Wrigley Company to inquire about the use of animal-derived ingredients in our products sold in the United States.

The majority of Wrigley products sold in the U.S. are free from ingredients of animal origin, including egg and dairy products.  A list of these acceptable products is included or attached with this response.

While a small percentage of the products we sell in the U.S. may contain ingredients of animal origin, we take great strides to ensure our products are free from any animal-based ingredients in geographies with dietary restrictions preventing such ingredients.  For example, all Wrigley products sold in the Middle East and Indonesia are free from animal-derived ingredients.

Our priority is, and always will be, to manufacture only the highest quality confectionery products using ingredients that meet the needs of our customers around the world.  By understanding our global customers and adjusting product offerings accordingly, we are able to deliver great tasting confections to more than 180 countries.

We hope this information is helpful.  If you have any additional questions or comments please feel free to contact us at 1-800-WRIGLEY Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST.

U.S. Wrigley Products Without Animal-Derived Ingredients

•        Wrigley’s Spearmint® gum
•        Doublemint® gum and mints
•        Big Red® gum
•        Juicy Fruit® stick gum
•        Winterfresh® gum
•        Five® Cobalt, Rain, Flare and Lush gums
•        Extra® Cinnamon, Bubble Gum, Peppermint, Spearmint, Winterfresh, Cool Green
Apple, Cool Watermelon, Supermint, Berry Pearadise and Fruit Sensations flavors
•        Eclipse® gum and mints
•        Hubba Bubba® chunk and tape gums
•        Big League Chew® shredded gum
•        Freedent® gum
•        Orbit® Bubblemint, Wintermint, Peppermint, Spearmint, Cinnamint, Sweetmint,
Citrusmint, Fabulous Fruitini, Lemon Lime, Maui Melon Mint, Mint Mojito,
Raspberry Mint and Sangria Fresca
•       Orbit® WhiteTM pellet gums
•       LifeSavers® hard candies and LifeSavers® lollipops
•       Altoids® Sours and Altoids® gum
•       Skittles® candies

Note:  Slight changes to product recipes can occur from time to time.  Please feel free to contact us at 1-800-WRIGLEY any time to answer any ingredient questions that arise.

Sincerely,

Melissa Kepple
Consumer Affairs Representative

Please do NOT reply to this email.  If you would like to respond to this message, click on the link below.

http://www.econsumeraffairs.com/wwj/wrigley/ContactUsFollowUp.htm?F1=000630217A&F3=WWEB

Tootsie Rolls Halal Again

Just heard back from Tootsie Roll that all Tootsie Roll product except “Junior Mints” are OK for Muslims and Vegetartian (not Vegan).

I previously reported them using pork rennet to make the whey used in their products. Now they use microbial rennet and are now kosher certified.

Thank you Tootsie Roll Industries for letting us enjoy our favorite candy again.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Andrews, Susan <@tootsie-roll.com>
Date: Tue, Feb 9, 2010 at 9:09 AM
Subject: RE: TRI Website - Contact Request
To: Ali Rizvi

The rennet is microbial.  Tootsie Rolls are under kosher 
certification now.

Thanks for the interest.




From: Ali Rizvi
Sent: Monday, February 08, 2010 6:18 PM
To: Andrews,  Susan
Cc: Ali Rizvi
Subject: Re: TRI Website - Contact Request

One more quick clarification, are you using microbial rennet
now for producing the whey in your products.

When I checked last time Tootsie Roll whey was being produced 
using pig rennet.

Thank you for your quick response.

Regards,
Ali

On Mon, Feb 8, 2010 at 1:27 PM, Andrews,  Susan <@tootsie-roll.com> wrote:

Ali, thank you for contacting us.  Only Junior Mints contain pork based gelatin.
All our other products do not contain any animal product.

We hope this helps.




From: Ali Rizvi
Sent: Sunday, February 07, 2010 1:56 PM
To: @tootsie-roll.com
Subject: TRI Website - Contact Request

Name Ali Rizvi
Title
Organization
Company Halalist
Address
City Seattle
State WA
Zip
Phone 2066514254

Question Dear Tootsie Roll People, I would like to know which of your
product use animal based ingredients. Following a halal diet I am not 
concern with Milk, Egg or Honey but care about any products using other 
animal ingredients. I have heard that some of the tootsie products have 
animal derived ingredients. A comprehensive list of products with and without
 animal products (including which ingredient is derived from animal) would be 
really helpful. I would like to resume consumption of my favorite tootsie product 
for myself, my children and our community members and would love to clear up 
any confusion on my blog. Hope for your prompt response.

Regards,
Ali Rizvi

More about E numbers from VRG

In an earlier entry, I quoted an email I received about pig fat and e numbers. A lot of people expressed interest in that entry and some commented on it so here is what VRG says about the E-numbers:

What are “E” numbers?

There are different words for different food ingredients across the world. In Europe, some food ingredients are noted as “E” numbers. Those that vegans and vegetarians will want to avoid include:

* E120 – cochineal (red food coloring made from crushed beetles)
* E542 – edible bone phosphate
* E631 – sodium 5′-inosinate
* E901 – beeswax
* E904 – shellac
* E920 – L-cysteine hydrochloride

Ingredients with the following “E” numbers may be animal derived: 101, 101a, 153, 203, 213, 227, 270, 282, 302, 322, 325, 326, 327, 333, 341a, 341b, 341c, 404, 422, 430, 431, 432, 433, 434, 435, 436, 470, 471, 472a, 472b, 472c, 472d, 472e, 473, 474, 475, 476, 477, 478, 481, 482, 483, 491, 492, 493, 494, 495, 570, 572, 627, and 635. To read more go to: www.ivu.org/faq/food.html

E901 – beeswax most likely is not a problem

Vegetarian Resource Group – A Great Resource for Halal Consumers

I found Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) through the Nutrition Diva Quick and Dirty Tips podcast.

I think VRG is an excellent resource for Halal Consumers in North America. I found their FAQ section on ingredients really useful. I am planning to explore their site more and would share as I find useful articles and information.

L-cysteine comes from both vegetarian and non-vegetarian sources

I will be avoiding products that are not explicitly labeled to use L-cysteine from vegetarian sources which is more expensive. Cheaper source of L-cysteine is from human hair or duck feather.

According to Vegetarian Resouce Group

While researching L-cysteine, The VRG asked several fast food chains and a major vegetarian food company about the sources of L-cysteine in their products. McDonald’s told us that L-cysteine derived from duck feathers is in their Honey Wheat Roll, the Deluxe Warm Cinnamon Roll, and the Baked Apple Pie. The L-cysteine in several items offered at Dunkin’ Donuts is also derived from duck feathers. Burger King told us in June 2007 that it “could not guarantee” the source of L-cysteine in its products.

On the other hand, Subway recently announced in March 2007 that it has removed the L-cysteine from its otherwise animal product-free Carb Conscious Wrap. When asked about the source of L-cysteine in several of its products, Domino’s Pizza told us that L-cysteine is “microbially derived” in its Hand-Tossed Crust and informed us that the L-cysteine in Domino’s Breadsticks, Cheesy Bread, and Cinna Stix is “vegetable-derived.”

The public relations firm for Morningstar Farms told us that the L-cysteine in their Veggie Bites Country Scramble, Veggie Bites Spinach Artichoke, and Veggie Bites Eggs Florentine was a “microbial fermentation product.”

Mars Chocolates Using Animal Based Product

Update: My sister called Mars today ( 07/09/2008 ) and Mars told her that they reverted back to vegetarian alternative to rennet in UK (as the commenter indicated) and they never switched in US. So we can all enjoy our favorite chocolates. This proves the point that consumers can affect corporate decisions if they get together. I hope we can convince Frito-Lays to go back to vegetarian friendly rennet alternative.

According to this BBC new:

Mars starts using animal products (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6653175.stm) Mars started using animal based rennet instead of vegetarian alternative.

Mars/Masterfood products having best before date after 1 October 2007 would contain rennet (animal product).

Here are some of the products made by them:

Bounty
Celebrations
Dove Chocolate
Flyte
Galaxy
Kudos
Lockets
M-Azing
Maltesers
M&M’s
Mars Bar
Mars Delight
Milky Way
Minstrels
Mars Planet
Skittles
Snixkers
Starbur st
3 Musketeers
Topic
Twix
Snicker’s Marathon Energy BAr
Aquadrops

Tootsie Roll Not OK

Update (2010-02-09) : Tootsie Roll Halal Again

This is one of those rare occassion that I have first hand answer to my question from the company. I updated the wikipedia entry for Tootsie Roll too. They use whey that comes from Pig. Please read the detailed list of products with animal content below.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: sandrews
Date: Mon, Dec 12, 2005 at 3:25 PM
Subject: Re: Request for info from tootsie.com
To: aliabbasrizvi@xxxx.com

Here is the information you requested regarding animal based
ingredients in our products.

NO BEEF OR PORK

Charms Zip’s
Charms Sour Pops
Charms Sweet pops
Charms Sweet & Sour Pops
Charms Squares
Charms Sour Balls
Andes Chocolate Covered mint patties
Andes
Cotton Candy
Mason Dots
Tropical Dots
Crows
Wild Berry Dots
Charleston Chews
Milk & Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries

BEEF

Charms Blow Pops

PORK

Sugar Daddy
Sugar Babies
Tootsie Roll
Frooties
Flavor Roll
Tootsie Pops
Caramel Apple Pops
Junior Mints
Fruit Smoothie

Red 40 – is FD&C Red 40, produced from chemicals via chemical reactions.
Hope this helps.

On Sat, 10 Dec 2005 15:28:58 -0500, aliabbasrizvi wrote
> Name………………. Ali Rizvi
> Title………………
> Organization………..
> Address……………. ———————
> City………………. ———–
> State……………… WA
> Zip……………….. 98—
> Phone………………
> Fax………………..
> Email……………… @gmail.com
> Questions/Comments….. Hi there,
>
> I am a fan of tootsie roll and other products made by your company.
>
> Being a muslim I don’t consume any animal products as a matter of faith
and only consume halal and zabiha meat.
>
> A friend brought to my attention that Tootsie rolls have products derived
from animals (some of them like Milk is fine) so I wanted to know verify
directly from the source if this is the case.
>
> Please let me know as soon as possible of any and all ingredients that are
derived from animal sources in your products so that I can enjoy my favorite
dessert and clear the confusion with all my friends.
>
> Thanks
> Ali

Wrigleys Haraam Products List

Salaam Alaikum,

Some of the products are well known to contain gelatin but products like creme savers surprised me. The only reason I see cremesavers are on this list is because they are created on the same line as Lifesavers Gummies which contain gelatin.

If I understand correctly not all lifesavers are not OK except Lifesavers gummies and fusion but I am sure precaution can be better.

Fi AmaaniLLah
Ali

From: Siddiqui, Yousuf (Al Khobar)
Sent: Saturday, April 19, 2008 5:46 PM
Subject: From Wrigleys Company USA
– Hide quoted text –

Dear Mr. Akbar,
Thank you for contacting us about animal ingredients and our products. To answer to your question, the vast majority of Wrigley products sold in the U.S. are free from ingredients of animal origin, including egg and dairy products. At present, the only chewing gum exceptions are Extra® Polar Ice stick gum and Juicy Fruit® pellet gums. Extra® Polar Ice gum and Orbit® Crystal Mint contain tiny flavor beads encased in a microscopic layer of gelatin, which is animal based. We have requested the development of a gelatin-free flavor bead that is currently being worked on by our supplier.

Juicy Fruit Grapermelon and Strappleberry gums use
shellac as a coating agent. The different varieties of our ALTOIDS mints do contain very small quantities of gelatin which is derived from pork. Gelatin does not impart any flavor to ALTOIDS, but it’s a necessary ingredient for the texture of the mint. When we use gelatin it is thoroughly purified and dried during its manufacturing process. Our staff is continually looking at alternatives to animal gelatin, but at the moment we’ve not been able to find a substitute that produces the same quality you’ve come to love with ALTOIDS.
Our LifeSaver gummies do contain small quantities of gelatin, which is also derived from pork. It follows the same drying and purifying process as with the
Altoids. If your diet does not allow you to consume animal byproducts such as dairy, our CremeSaver line does contain cream, which is a dairy byproduct. On the same note, our LifeSaver Fusions and LifeSaver gummies are produced on the same line as our
CremeSavers, so there is a chance of cross contamination. Our CremeSaver soft chews also contain a small amount of gelatin, which is pork based. We hope this information has been helpful and thanks again for contacting the Wrigley Company.
Sincerely,
Ryné King
Consumer Affairs Representative
============================================

Therefore according to the info above the following products of theirs are Haram:

Extra® Polar Ice
stick gum and Juicy Fruit® pellet gums.
Extra® Polar Ice gum and Orbit® Crystal Mint
Juicy Fruit Grapermelon and Strappleberry gums
ALTOIDS mints
Our LifeSaver gummies
CremeSaver
LifeSaver Fusions and LifeSaver

The remaining are halal

Vegetarian Cheese List

List of Brands of Vegetarian Cheese (http://cheese.joyousliving.com/CheeseListBrand.aspx)

What is the Cheese List

This site provides information for vegetarians. Cheese can be made with or without rennet which is derived from the stomach tissue of a slaughtered calf. This list specifies those cheeses which are made without the use of rennet. Today more and more cheeses are made with “microbial enzymes” which are widely used in the industry because they are a consistent and inexpensive coagulant. The term “microbial enzyme” means it is a synthetically developed coagulant. The term “vegetable rennet” means it is derived from a vegetable source. Soft cheeses such as cream cheese and cottage cheese are manufactured without rennet. Some cottage cheeses, however, may contain gelatin which is derived from animal sources. All labels should be read carefully.

Why Pig Fat is not mentioned but code(s) are printed??

Update: I added another entry about E codes/numbers. See More about E numbers from VRG
Update: Faraj left a insightful comment to this entry in which he pointed to this article: http://www.vegsoc.org/info/enumbers.html.Thank you Faraj

Here is the most pertinent part in case you are in a hurry:

So, I request all MUSLIMS or non pork [meat] eaters to check the ingredients of the ITEMS of daily use and match it with the following list of E-CODES. If any of the ingredients listed below is found, try to avoid it, as it has got PIG FAT;

E100, E110, E120, E 140, E141, E153, E210, E213, E214, E216, E234, E252,E270, E280, E325, E326, E327, E334, E335, E336, E337, E422, E430, E431, E432, E433, E434, E435, E436, E440, E470, E471, E472, E473, E474, E475,E476, E477, E478, E481, E482, E483, E491, E492, E493, E494, E495, E542,E570, E572, E631, E635, E904.

The full email is below:

FW: Why Pig Fat is not mentioned but code(s) are printed?? read

Posted by: ‘bisirore’ bisirore
Fri Jan 4, 2008 11:37 am (PST)
PIG FAT By Dr. M. Amjad Khan

In nearly all the western countries including Europe, the PRIMARY choice for meat is PIG. There are a lot of farms in these countries to breed this animal. In France alone, Pig Farms account for more than 42,000.

PIGS have the highest quantity of FAT in their body than any other animal. But Europeans and Americans try to avoid fats.

Thus, where does the FAT from these PIGS go? All pigs are cut in slaughter houses under the control of the department of food and it was the headache of the department of food to dispose of the fat removed from these pigs.

Formerly, it was burnt (about 60 years ago). Then they thought of utilizing it. First, they experimented it in the making of SOAPS and it worked.

Then, a full network was formed and this FAT was chemically Processed, Packed and Marketed, while the other manufacturing companies bought it. In the meantime, all European States made it a rule that every Food, Medical and Personal Hygiene product should have the ingredients listed on its cover. So, this ingredient was listed as PIG FAT.

Those who are living in Europe for the past 40 years know about this. But, these products came under a ban by the ISLAMIC COUNTRIES at that time, which resulted in a trade deficit.

Going back in time, if you are somehow related to South East Asia, you might know about the provoking factors of the 1857 CIVIL WAR. At that time, Rifle Bullets were made in Europe and transported to the sub-continent through the Sea.It took months to reach there and the gun powder in it was ruined due to the exposure to sea.

Then, they got the idea of coating the Bullets with fat, which was PIG FAT. The fat layer had to be scratched by teeth before using them. When the word spread, the soldiers, mostly Muslim and some Vegetarians, refused to fight.Which eventually lead to the Civil War. The Europeans recognized these facts, and instead of writing PIG FAT, they started writing ANIMAL FAT.All those living in Europe since 1970’s know this fact. When the companies were asked by authorities from the MUSLIM COUNTRIES, what animal fat is it, they were told it was COW and SHEEP Fat. Here again a question raised, if it was COW or SHEEP Fat, still it is HARAAM to MUSLIMS, as these animal were not SLAUGHTERED as per the ISLAMIC LAW. Thus, they were again banned.
Now, these multinational companies were again facing a severe drought of money as 75% of their income comes from selling their goods to Muslim Countries, and these earn BILLIONS OF DOLLARS of Profit from their exports to the MUSLIM WORLD.

Finally they decided to start a coding language, so that only their Departments of Food Administration should know what they are using, and the common man is left lurking in the dark.Thus, they started E-CODES. These E- INGREDIENTS are present in a majority of products of multinational firms including, but not limited to –

TOOTH PASTE,
SHAVING CREAM
CHEWING GUM,
CHOCOLATE,
SWEETS,
BISCUITS,
CORN FLAKES, TOFFEES,
CANNED FOODS,
FRUIT TINS,

Some medication Multi-vitamins Since these goods are being used in all MUSLIM Countries indiscrimately, our society is facing problems like shamelessness, rudeness and sexual promiscuity.

So, I request all MUSLIMS or non pork [meat] eaters to check the ingredients of the ITEMS of daily use and match it with the following list of E-CODES. If any of the ingredients listed below is found, try to avoid it, as it has got PIG FAT;

E100, E110, E120, E 140, E141, E153, E210, E213, E214, E216, E234, E252,E270, E280, E325, E326, E327, E334, E335, E336, E337, E422, E430, E431, E432, E433, E434, E435, E436, E440, E470, E471, E472, E473, E474, E475,E476, E477, E478, E481, E482, E483, E491, E492, E493, E494, E495, E542,E570, E572, E631, E635, E904.

Dr. M. Amjad Khan
Medical Research Institute
United States