Probably not vegan. Stop eating them!
UPDATE
Wall’s have now confirmed to multiple people via social media and email that the new Swedish Glace ice creams ARE suitable for vegans. They have also apologised for the confusion caused by saying the opposite a few days ago. Buy them all, eat them all.
END UPDATE
I wrote about my bewilderment caused by the new Swedish Glace chocolate coated strawberry ice cream sticks not saying ‘vegan’ on the box when all other Swedish Glace products do have vegan written on them.
Well, straight from the source (with the source weirdly being Walls ice cream) we have been told that these products ARE NOT VEGAN.
I am not 100% sure that this is true. People running social media accounts have made mistakes before but this matches up with Sainsbury’s listing the products as only vegetarian on their website.
I am still waiting to get a response to my email from parent company Unilever but I think it is safe to say that all vegans in the UK should STOP buying this product.
Great move for a brand that until now has only made vegan products to suddenly launch a non-vegan one (not)!
Surely the whole point of Swedish Glace is that it is Vegan. For Walls to make something that doesn’t comply with the original concept is completely thoughtless.
what’s in them then? Probably just laziness… I got the Food Empowerment Movement to ask Perkier about the ethics of the cacao in their new vegan bar range, and their reply to the volunteer was ‘we don’t sell any vegan products’. Since I sampled the bars at London VegFest and they are labelled vegan, AND I saw them again at Brighton VegFest, I’m pretty sure that person just didn’t have a clue.
Walls do now own Swedish Glacé. So sneaking dairy into their products doesn’t surprise me. I keep all the old tubs for storage and if you look at the top of the lid the symbol has changed to the Walls “Swirl”. Maybe we should boycott?!
I think the main point surely should be that we do not purchase Swedish Glace in the first place, vegan or not?!Does not make any sense to me to support a company that supports/conducts animal experiments …
Yes I say bravo to that. It’s always a real shame when a smaller company sells out to a big hitter. If there are alternatives then so be it. Where does that leave us with the Ben and Jerry’s proposed Vegan options?
Hi
Does anyone know of it is GMO free? I have tried to redrew your but only found a post from 2011 stating it was. Thanks. Many soya products contain GMO’s and I would be glad to hear of Walls are continuing with this awareness. I hope so…
Please don’t speculate or spread rumours, just state the fact as to what ingredients are present in the ice cream that make it not vegan. Perhaps there is a dairy derived item, so tell us what it is. Don’t destroy a product’s reputation through gossip on this respected board.
It isn’t gossip. A company representative told a customer the new products are not suitable for vegans. I am reporting this in case this turns out to be true as I know most people wouldn’t want to buy a non-vegan product. I am trying to get more information and as soon as I do, I will share. Just thought people would like to know in the meantime.
You say “I am rrporting this in case this turns out to be true…” . Exactly – gossip and rumour. Get the facts, do the research, read the ingredients list on the package. My question still stands. What ingredient makes this product non-vegan? Put up or shut up. Don’t spread rumour, gossip and scares on this board.
David – why don’t you pull your head in and stop being so aggressive. If you don’t like the content of this blog then don’t read it… simple as that.
I have been following this blog for guidance on selecting vegan food items. It is not aggressive to challenge and question statements that create doubts about the truth of whether an item is vegan. I am asking for facts and evidence to support the doubts that have now been raised on this blog. It”s no solution to tell me to stop reading this authoritative and respected source of guidance on vegan nutrition. Again I ask, what ingredient makes this ice cream non-vegan? Is that aggressive? Simple question… or is asking questions here “aggressive”?
David. Some people would like to know that a company or one of its representatives has said a product is not vegan. This is what has happened and this is what I reported on my blog. If and when I get information to the contrary, this will also be reported. I’m not quite sure why you are taking this issue in the manner you are. People are completely free to make up their own minds about buying and consuming the ice creams with the information we have to hand. The origins of some of the printed ingredients are not instantly clear. This coupled with a statement from the company itself that the product is only vegetarian is enough to make some vegans want to wait for further information. There is nothing salacious or gossipy about getting this information to people while we find out more. I’m sure if they turn out not to be vegan, some people will be pleased to have been alerted earlier rather than later.
You make entirely valid points – people are free to make up their minds on the information available, and that is why I have engaged in this exchange. I am disturbed by the doubt that is running. It is not “information” to say an ice cream may or may not be vegan. It’s a simple matter to get the information as to what makes this product not vegan, such as a dairy or egg based ingredient. The word of a company employee raising a doubt is not enough. It has to be a fact about ingredients. That’s all I’m saying here. I was relying on this blog for information. What makes this ice cream not vegan?
As Swedish Glass were taken over by UNILEVER I no longer entertain the idea of purchasing this brand due to unilever being an horrendous company with virtually no ethics. I avoid their products as much as I possibly cna.
Alison, you raise an important point about ethics in the food trade and for the general public boycotting products from companies that are not fully ethical is a respectable principled stand to take. It is different from boycotting an ice cream because of doubts raised about whether it is vegan. I buy Swedish Glace from Sainsbury’s but I don’t boycott Sainsbury’s because they also happen to sell Unilever and Proctor and Gamble products, for example, it would be impractical and ineffective. The issue is whether this ice cream has something in it that makes it non-vegan.
Sainsbury’s and Walls could be congratulated for bringing a vegan version of ice cream within the range of ordinary shopping. They should be encouraged to make and market more vegan and fully ethical items. Now I’m disturbed to find a doubt about whether Swedish Glace ice cream is vegan after all. Have I got to look elsewhere for vegan “ice cream” or is it impossible to make such a product?
David, why not do your own research. That way you can let us all know and stop carping on to someone who has done some ( research)
I’m not carping at anyone, I’m asking questions following on from some doubt raised here about whether an ice dessert product is not vegan. I am doing my own research and that’s why I’m mystified. I can’t find a dairy or egg related ingredient in the Swedish Glace products. So why the drive here to boycott them?
What the fuck are you talking about? There is no drive to boycott them and there never has been. Most people with critical reading skills understood my post to be a warning that they might not want to buy and eat a product that the company said was not vegan. I won’t be responding to your comments anymore as I think there is a high probability that you are a troll attempting to stir people up.
Many health food stores stock a wide range of vegan ice creams from much more ethical companies 🙂
Quite right. There are various brands of vegan ice cream but what has the ethical standing of a store or producer got to do with it? Boycott non ethical firms if you wish but my question is what ingredients make Swedish Glace products possibly not vegan? That’s the issue here.
Can someone call Unilever and get the definitive. Then we can move on.
Have you seen the update at the top of this page?
Apologies. I have now. It’s still Unilever. That opens a whole new can of worms. I’m just going to scrape some ice from inside my freezer and eat that instead (perhaps).
This issue is easily avoided by purchasing your ice cream from the original makers of Seedish G. A little research in a more beneficial direction will reveal this.
I can’t even with this thread anymore. LOL!
Well done for all your hard work on this, Sean! Anything that makes it easier for peeps to go vegan is important – it’s all part of accessibility and people not falling over the first hurdle… chocolate, ice cream and all the rest! If it saves cows (and other animals of course) it’s gotta be good!
it saddens me that some vegans seem to think if a company produces vegan products, all is in order! Some of us ‘oldies’ have campaigned against unethical companies, such as P&G and Unilever,for many years,and have asked the public to boycott their products. I know sometimes we may not have much choice, but surely it is our duty to refrain from supporting a company which exploits/abuses animals when we can shop elsewhere?
Yay for campaigning against unethical companies 🙂
Depends on your definition of ‘Vegan’…it’s not vegan if it is the product of a company that tortures animals and your ethics are vegan. This product now contains palm oil, and I don’t think there is any mention of the soya being non GMO, as it was on the previous, older packaging. So, when I turned it over, in the queue, at my local Co-Op and read the ingredients and the name ‘Unilever’…. it went right back on the fucking shelf…..fuck you Swedish Glace…….