Vitamin D in popular cereals may not suit a vegan diet
POPULAR breakfast cereals including Rice Krispies, Kellogg’s Cornflakes and Cheerios contain vitamin D that is made from sheep’s wool grease, it has emerged, meaning they are unsuitable for vegans.
It is believed that many of the UK’S 550,000 vegans may have been eating vitamin D fortified cereals because they contain no ingredients which are obviously derived from animals.
While the cereals are marked with a “suitable for vegetarians” logo, there is no explicit warning that they are unsuitable for vegans.
Confusingly, other cereals that are suitable for vegans, such as Nestle’s Shredded Wheat, carry a vegetarian logo but not a vegan logo.
Breakfast cereals are often fortified with vitamin D to improve their nutritional value, because it helps keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy. The
‘Unfortunately, without contacting manufacturers, consumers may not know which vitamin D is used’
Department of Health says around a quarter of people in the UK have low levels of vitamin D, prompting manufacturers to add it to cereals.
In many cases, in order to establish whether cereals are vegan friendly consumers would need to check online or call customer services.
In response, the Vegan Society has called for clearer labelling of cereals containing vitamin D3, which is made from oils taken from sheep’s wool.
A spokesman at the Vegan Society said: “Many cereals are fortified with either vitamin D3, from animal fat, or vitamin D2, which is an animal-free option. Unfortunately, without contacting the manufacturer, consumers may not know which has been used.”
The issue has arisen as Kellogg’s launched a new range of vegan cereals under a new brand called WK Kellogg. The healthy, low-sugar and vegan granolas are designed to compete with upmarket cereal brands and retail at around £3.75 per box.
A Kellogg’s spokesman said: “We provide a choice of cereals, including the WK Kellogg range. Cereals that contain Vitamin D are labelled and follow EU and UK labelling laws.”