Can you spot the unexpected detail on 'vegan' KitKats?
- Replies 9
These days, more and more people are choosing to follow a plant-based diet, and food companies are starting to take notice.
Two years ago, Nestlé released a 'vegan' version of their ever-popular KitKat, named ‘KitKat V’, and many sweet-toothed Australians were happy to have more options.
However, a surprising detail on a KitKat packet has gone viral online, raising questions about Nestlé's vegan-friendly version of the popular chocolate bar.
KitKat fans have been left shocked after the Nestlé confectionary brand was called out for a conflicting message on one of its vegan chocolate bars.
This was brought to light when one KitKat customer from the UK noticed an unusual detail on the chocolate bar’s packaging.
The customer uploaded the photo on the popular social media forum Reddit, which started a debate among social media users.
In it, the customer pointed out that the inconspicuous message in the top left-hand corner of the packaging reads: ‘MAY CONTAIN MILK’.
Many people were shocked by the brand’s packaging, indicating that the ‘vegan’ option may contain a non-vegan product.
‘It just immediately contradicts itself,’ one shared.
‘Does it contain milk, or does it not contain milk? Is it a risk you’re willing to take?’ Another commented.
‘Anything can be vegan if you ignore the ingredients...’ One quipped.
Others expressed their disappointment over the contradictory message.
‘As someone who has to avoid dairy. I can confirm that the majority of vegan alternative chocolate bars pretty much all say “May contain milk”, and the majority of times, they do actually contain milk. Pretty frustrating,’ one explained.
Another agreed and said: ‘Lactose intolerant here, and I personally like the “May contain milk” tag. It’s like a dairy Russian roulette.’
‘Not much to say except wow,’ one replied.
However, there were some people that backed up KitKat V’s packaging, saying that the message is there for people with allergies.
‘It’s my understanding “may contain” just means the place they make the product has a lot of that ingredient, and there could be cross-contamination,’ one person suggested.
‘It’s not a problem for everyone, but it is for people with allergies and some religious people,’ someone else responded.
Another said that it could be contaminated with milk, but that doesn’t mean that milk is included in the recipe.
‘Cross-contamination warning as it's made in the same factory as non-vegan KitKats. Just like when something that doesn't contain nuts says “may contain nuts” for people with peanut allergies,’ someone explained.
However, this wasn’t enough to convince some vegans.
‘This is like cooking meat in a pan and then throwing veggies in after and saying that they are vegan. They aren’t,’ someone wrote.
Nestlé Australia’s KitKat V range has sold out nationwide since its launch two years ago.
According to product reports at the time, KitKat V features ‘smooth chocolate’ blended with a rice-based alternative to milk. It was developed by chocolatiers and food scientists in the manufacturer’s research and development centre in the UK – the original home of KitKat.
Louise Barrett, Head of the Nestlé Confectionery Product Technology Centre, said: ‘Our challenge when we set out to create a vegan-friendly KitKat was to recreate this iconic product using plant-based alternatives.’
She continued: ‘To achieve this, we worked very hard to get the right balance between the milk alternative and the cocoa. The result is a vegan chocolate that we’re very proud of, and I hope all KitKat fans will love it as much as we do.’
Now, a spokesperson from Nestlé Australia told reporters that food safety is important to the company and that they will place this ‘above everything’.
‘Although all ingredients are certified as being vegan by the Vegan Society, the product is made in a factory that also manufactures milk chocolate products,’ they shared.
‘Because food safety is of the highest priority to us, the product packaging features the ‘may contain milk’ statement,’ the spokesperson added.
Have you ever spotted a similarly unexpected detail on a product’s packaging? Tell us what you found in the comments below!
Two years ago, Nestlé released a 'vegan' version of their ever-popular KitKat, named ‘KitKat V’, and many sweet-toothed Australians were happy to have more options.
However, a surprising detail on a KitKat packet has gone viral online, raising questions about Nestlé's vegan-friendly version of the popular chocolate bar.
KitKat fans have been left shocked after the Nestlé confectionary brand was called out for a conflicting message on one of its vegan chocolate bars.
This was brought to light when one KitKat customer from the UK noticed an unusual detail on the chocolate bar’s packaging.
The customer uploaded the photo on the popular social media forum Reddit, which started a debate among social media users.
KitKat V arrived in Australian stores in July 2021 but is currently discontinued. Credit: KitKat/Nestlé
In it, the customer pointed out that the inconspicuous message in the top left-hand corner of the packaging reads: ‘MAY CONTAIN MILK’.
Many people were shocked by the brand’s packaging, indicating that the ‘vegan’ option may contain a non-vegan product.
‘It just immediately contradicts itself,’ one shared.
‘Does it contain milk, or does it not contain milk? Is it a risk you’re willing to take?’ Another commented.
‘Anything can be vegan if you ignore the ingredients...’ One quipped.
Others expressed their disappointment over the contradictory message.
‘As someone who has to avoid dairy. I can confirm that the majority of vegan alternative chocolate bars pretty much all say “May contain milk”, and the majority of times, they do actually contain milk. Pretty frustrating,’ one explained.
Another agreed and said: ‘Lactose intolerant here, and I personally like the “May contain milk” tag. It’s like a dairy Russian roulette.’
‘Not much to say except wow,’ one replied.
Other social media users expressed their disappointment with the brand. Credit: Reddit
However, there were some people that backed up KitKat V’s packaging, saying that the message is there for people with allergies.
‘It’s my understanding “may contain” just means the place they make the product has a lot of that ingredient, and there could be cross-contamination,’ one person suggested.
‘It’s not a problem for everyone, but it is for people with allergies and some religious people,’ someone else responded.
Another said that it could be contaminated with milk, but that doesn’t mean that milk is included in the recipe.
‘Cross-contamination warning as it's made in the same factory as non-vegan KitKats. Just like when something that doesn't contain nuts says “may contain nuts” for people with peanut allergies,’ someone explained.
However, this wasn’t enough to convince some vegans.
‘This is like cooking meat in a pan and then throwing veggies in after and saying that they are vegan. They aren’t,’ someone wrote.
Nestlé Australia’s KitKat V range has sold out nationwide since its launch two years ago.
According to product reports at the time, KitKat V features ‘smooth chocolate’ blended with a rice-based alternative to milk. It was developed by chocolatiers and food scientists in the manufacturer’s research and development centre in the UK – the original home of KitKat.
Louise Barrett, Head of the Nestlé Confectionery Product Technology Centre, said: ‘Our challenge when we set out to create a vegan-friendly KitKat was to recreate this iconic product using plant-based alternatives.’
She continued: ‘To achieve this, we worked very hard to get the right balance between the milk alternative and the cocoa. The result is a vegan chocolate that we’re very proud of, and I hope all KitKat fans will love it as much as we do.’
Now, a spokesperson from Nestlé Australia told reporters that food safety is important to the company and that they will place this ‘above everything’.
‘Although all ingredients are certified as being vegan by the Vegan Society, the product is made in a factory that also manufactures milk chocolate products,’ they shared.
‘Because food safety is of the highest priority to us, the product packaging features the ‘may contain milk’ statement,’ the spokesperson added.
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hmmmm interesting
