How to Spot a Fake Vegan Business
In June 2009, QuarryGirl.com conducted an undercover investigation of vegan restaurants in Los Angeles, California. They tested the food samples for egg, casein and other animal byproducts. To their surprise, 7 out of 17 of the vegan restaurants were using non-vegan ingredients in their dishes. Obviously, there are fake vegan businesses out there, so how do you spot them?
Operation Undercover
How can you tell vegan cheese isn’t vegan unless you test it? Depending on what type of vegan restaurant you’re looking into, you might just have to take matters into your own hands and investigate like QuarryGirl.com did. There’s no denying scientific data if it’s done properly.
Another option is to question the staff, especially if you know one of the employees. They see what goes on in the back, and they probably know or hear more than they ever wanted to know about the business. They might be willing to discuss the matter, and help you understand if the restaurants ethical practices are in line with your own.
Ask It Right Out Loud
Sometimes it’s best to just ask your questions right to the owner. If the owner is receptive to an answer and question session with it’s customers, it shows that he/she has nothing to hide. As a customer, you have a right to see the ingredients and know where the materials are coming from. You should be cautious if the owner doesn’t want to disclose this information. Although some instances of nondisclosure might be due to protecting a trade secret, the owner should be comfortable answering most of your questions.
Your Bag of Tricks
Some non-vegans completely forget that certain ingredients are not vegan. For instance, they might be using chicken or beef stock to make their vegan stir-fry. Or maybe they’re not aware that gelatin or honey isn’t vegan. A true vegan business would have done their product research before presenting potentially non-vegan products to their vegan customers.
Often a vegan business has simply made a mistake and their error is not intentional or perhaps they have been misguided by a manufacturer. So rather than scold or lablel them a Fake Vegan Business, do your part, leverage your experience and knowledge to help raise the bar. However, owners who are most passionate and professional about their business are the ones who are open to your questions, and they will encourage you to get to know more about their business.
