Most would argue it would be fair to assume fruit would be on the list of items vegans could eat.
However, one shopper reported being left "shaken" after recently discovering that was not the case for all products.
The actual fruit was vegan, of course, but a coating on the fruit meant that some of Tesco's fruit isn't suitable for vegans or vegetarians, as she discovered.
After reading the label on certain packs of oranges, satsumas and mandarins, she found they were labelled as non-vegan both on the label and online.
Sharing news of her findings on social media, she said: “I am shocked to find out that the oranges I was trying to buy all day are not vegan. Pfft.”
Non-vegan fruits were also being sold in Marks and Spencer and Morrisons, M.E.N reports.
The reason that the oranges are classed as non-vegan is due to the chemicals used, often pesticides, to make the fruit look and grow better. Imazalil - banned in all but tiny amounts - is the common non-vegan item used by growers on their fruit and veg. The E904 version of the chemical, as it will be shown on any label, is a wax made of shellac.
There are also other versions of the same wax which are made up of beeswax to give fruits such as oranges a shine. Vegans don’t eat shellac or beeswax as they come from animals and therefore aren’t part of a plant based diet.
The added chemical also drew attention to the hazardous pesticide Propiconazole, banned apart from tiny amounts by the EU as it is hazardous to health. Now that the UK has left Europe, Propiconazole is no longer regulated as harshly and is being used as a pesticide on fruit and veg. It is known to have cancer increasing qualities.
There was widespread criticism of the use of pesticides, especially the two listed above. One social media commenter said: “Propiconazole banned by the EU because of risks to fertility and to the health of the unborn child. Propiconazole is now on fruit in the UK. Important work done by the EU in assessing safety of chemicals - now ditched by Govt.”
Another said: “When fruit isn't suitable for vegans you know something bad is happening.” With one explaining: “Imazalil & propiconazole are fungicides & are the reason why we should've been (long before now) scrubbing citrus fruits before using the peel & washing hands after peeling & before eating treated fruit. Better to buy organic, untreated fruits when available.”
Tesco told MyLondon that all their oranges are suitable for vegans but some oranges are labelled ‘non-vegan’ due to the wax applied post-harvest which contains shellac which helps keep fruit fresh. They said it is a common treatment for conventional citrus packing in the industry. They are also working with growers to develop a vegan-friendly alternative.
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