June 19, 2004
Rosarita No Fat Traditional Refried Beans
I've been a vegetarian since around 1991. I noticed that a number of products have no mention of meat in their ingredients list, but they do use natural flavor. In particular, Rosarita No Fat Traditional Refried Beans include this mysterious substance. I therefore wrote a (real) letter to Rosarita Consumer Affairs. They recently replied back via telephone — the beans are not vegetarian. Mystery solved. Unfortunately many people seem to assume the opposite, such as Shopping Vegan.
My letter:
[my address, phone, and email info]
May 20, 2004
Rosarita Consumer Affairs
P.O. Box 57078
Irvine, CA 92619-7078
RE: Are Rosarita No Fat Traditional Refried Beans vegetarian?
Dear Helpful Person:
I applaud Rosarita for selling Rosarita Vegetarian Refried Beans because I wish to avoid eating meat, as do some of the people for whom I cook. I was wondering if another product, Rosarita No Fat Traditional Refried Beans, is also vegetarian. I notice the ingredients include "natural flavor," which is highly ambiguous; e.g., it may be chicken or beef stock. Could you please tell me what the "natural flavor" is?
It would be helpful if the labels on the cans clearly indicated that the contents were not vegetarian (or vegan) if that is the case. Thank you for your time.
Yours sincerely,
Sean Anderson
Their reply:
UPDATE 2004-06-29:
ConAgra also sent me a letter, which I scanned it in:
April 01, 2004
Stevia
I recently read about Stevia, which is a non-caloric herb that is 150-400 times sweeter than sugar. It has been used for centuries by South American natives. There appears no toxicity problems with it, unlike aspartame (Nutrasweet) and saccharine, and its saftey is more proven than sucralose (Splenda) or even tagatose (Naturlose).
So why is it used in Japan, Germany, Chile, Brazil, etc, but not the good ole USA? Apparently, just as Nutrasweet became available, the FDA banned its import to the US, and to this day does not permit it as an ingredient, only as a dietary suppliment. The popular comspiracy theory is that Nutrasweet, which is owned by Monsanto, basically bought-off the FDA. (We clearly need a more transparent and accountable FDA, as their justification for its ban seems very week.)
Some related newsgroup posts:
* FDA orders destruction of cook books mentioning "stevia"
* Re: Stevia v Aspartame (Was: Re: ANECDOTAL REPORT: Adverse Reaction to Stevia alternative herbal sweetner