DO you want some meat with your vegetarian dish

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DO you want some meat with your vegetarian dish?

Consumer group Choice tested the vegetarian menus of fast food outlets and found some contain animal by-products.

One of those was rennet, which comes from the stomachs of calves and is often used to produce cheese.

Choice looked at 80 vegetarian items on the menus of Domino’s, Go Sushi, Hungry Jack’s, Nando’s, Noodle Box, Oporto, Pizza Hut, Subway and Sumo Salad.

Hungry Jack’s told Choice the cheese in its Veggie Burger may contain rennet and the mayonnaise contains egg – but the burger was not marketed as being suitable for vegetarians.

Subway’s cheese also contains rennet but its vegetarian menu options do not come with cheese – it is added by request. Domino’s said there were no animal by-products in its mozzarella cheese.

Choice spokeswoman Ingrid Just said strict vegetarians were not always getting a strict veggi product at fast food chains: “You can’t assume non-meat menu items are suitable for strict vegetarians.”

Ms Just said Oporto, Nando’s and Pizza Hut did not respond to the survey, so the watchdog could not guarantee their ingredients were free of animal by-products.

KFC and Red Rooster declined to take part because vegetarian options are not what they primarily offer, while McDonald’s was ruled out because it doesn’t have a veg range on its regular menu.

The research also looked into whether vegetarian options were healthier by comparing saturated fat levels, kilojoules and salt content.

A Hungry Jack’s Veggie Burger has 2979 kilojoules compared to 1170 kilojoules in its meat hamburger, while Oporto’s Veggie Burger has more saturated fat and sodium than most of its meat burgers.

The saturated fat level of a Domino’s vegetarian pizza can be cut by 78 per cent if consumers choose a classic crust, which has a thin base.

Ms Just said Choice recommends vegetarians look at the ingredients closely and ask staff if any animal by-products are in the foods.

They can also limit the amount of saturated fats and kilojoules by choosing plant-based products like lentils, chick peas, beans and nuts. Vegetarians can also custom-make fast food options to remove cheese and get extra salad and vegetables.

Vegetarianism, Raw and Vegan with Bill & Sheila

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