This information is based on our experiences of going to church, staying after the Liturgy for Coffee Hour, where we are able to meet and greet our church friends and family, and spend a little time visiting. But, when we get to coffee hour, there is a large can of coffee whitener sitting next to the sugar bowl for people to use instead of milk. Has anyone actually read or understood the label? We went on a fact-finding mission to see if this powdered whitener, as well as the liquid non-dairy creamer actually meet the requirements of not partaking in animal products.
The Coffee-mate from Nestle brand whitener is easy to find in most stores, without having to go to a specialty grocer. It is possibly the most popular brand of whitener, and is used at several of the churches around us, so it is the one with which we are most familiar. Of course, you may have more exposure to another brand, but may find the list of ingredients very similar.
In doing a little research, we learned that Coffee-mate is typically made from a combination of vegetable fats and sugars. When reading the ingredient list a little more closely, we notice one of the ingredients is sodium caseinate (a milk derivative); casein, in most mammalian milk comprises the majority of the protein portion of milk. Of course, this is after the list of various sugars, oils, and other chemical preservatives. And, if you do a little reading about each ingredient, you may wonder why consume this product at all? Coffee-mate does not advertise that it is not a dairy-free product. From our experience, however, many people believe that it really IS dairy-free.
The word "Creamer" would also be indicative of a dairy product. So, is this a non dairy creamer, or is it merely a whitener? According to the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, the FDA "specifically allows the use of caseinates … in non-dairy products." It seems that only a product that inludes actual milk is considered dairy; if the contents have only a byproduct, then it can be a non dairy product. Another word we look for, but still allows a food to be categorized as non-dairy is whey; whey is the remaining liquid serum after milk has curdled. Whey is not in this product, but we have noticed it in other seemingly Lenten foods.
When we searched to learn more about sodium caseinate, we found online that someone else had contacted Nestle in regards to this issue. The company's explanation reads
"The ingredient you're referring to is sodium caseinate, a milk derivative as stated on our label. Although sodium caseinate is a milk derivative, the process of manufacturing sodium caseinate is significantly different from that of other dairy ingredients.
Specifically, casein, the milk protein, is so materially altered during processing that both dairy scientists and government regulators no longer regard it as a true dairy substance.
This is why sodium caseinate is classified as a non-dairy ingredient by the FDA and can be added to products labeled as non-dairy. Sodium caseinate is not a source of lactose.."
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| Source of image: http://orthodoxchurchquotes.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/st-paul-the-apostle.jpg |
St. Paul, Philippians 4:6 (RSV)
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