Comments on: O’Soy Yogurt: Not Vegan

By: Carl

Carl — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:50:19 +0000

I’m not a vegan, but am a respectfully curious person. I ran across this discussion while researching soy yogurt, and am surprised that no one has yet suggested making one’s own soy yogurt by innoculating soy milk with what one knows to be non-dairy-based bacterium. I’d appreciate any insight from a vegan’s POV. Tx in advance.

By: Susan

Susan — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 05:25:24 +0000

Oops… that’s suppose to be “apparently they AREN’T concerned…”

By: Susan

Susan — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 05:24:08 +0000

I was also terribly disappointed to learn that O’Soy intentionally contains dairy.

My kids both have severe milk allergies. I called Stonyfield a while back to inquire about their labeling “may contain traces of milk” and I was told they are required by law to put that warning on the soy yogurt because they run the product on the same line as their dairy yogurt and their is a small chance of cross-contamination.

However, I was assured that they regularly test the O’Soy for presence of dairy and while the FDA standard was 20 ppm, their policy was 8ppm, much lower than the federal requirement.

O’Soy is the *only* soy yogurt available in our area (and I felt joyed to see it on the shelves because alternative food products are SO rare here). So I made my peace with the information Stonyfield gave me and decided to buy it for the kids.

But now, it seems that they’ve told 10 different stories about the dairy situation. And, if they truly did just “update” the label rather than make an ingredient change, then their soy yogurt has *always* contained some milk on purpose, which means I was lied to when I called.

The nearest store that sells Whole Soy requires a two hour drive. Silk used to be carried in my local stores but after a while it was discontinued from their stock. I guess not enough people willing to buy it? I don’t know, but this basically leaves my kids with no yogurt since I am no longer buying O’Soy.

I won’t buy soy yogurt from a company that cannot keep it’s story straight when asked about allergens. Apparently they concerned about catering to all the folks who follow a vegan diet and those who must deal with milk sensitivities.

Like so many of you said, I just don’t see what the point is. Who do you market a soy yogurt to if it contains milk? What’s the target buyer in this situation?

By: Siri

Siri — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:03:19 +0000

Just happened to me too. I wish I had read this before I ate that yogurt. I feel duped, I can’t believe I didn’t read below the ingredients where it states it contains milk. Yuck!

By: theuglyearring

theuglyearring — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:50:16 +0000

http://www.nancysyogurt.com/nancys_products/soy.php

and finally a soy yogurt that proudly boasts a vegan label and is not loaded with sugar!

soybabe…our daughter loves it

By: Sghetti

Sghetti — Wed, 28 May 2008 15:29:40 +0000

I am feeling very annoyed and angry. Annoyed and angry at myself that I did not read the Stonyfield Soy yogurt label to find milk in the ingredients. And angry that I put my trust in Stonyfield. I am allergic to dairy and a vegetarian. I usually read all my labels. What a mistake!!!!No wonder I wasn’t feeling as well as I should.
Thanks to all who put this info out for us non-readers to see.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Wed, 28 May 2008 03:45:14 +0000

Hi Soybabe — What you say is correct in general about the “may contain” on labels, but in this case, the product itself does actually contain milk. It explicitly says on the label:

“Contains milk (our active live cultures are milk-based).”

Which, to this day, I still find absurd. I haven’t bought a Stonyfield Farm product since.

By: Soybabe

Soybabe — Wed, 28 May 2008 03:25:29 +0000

Hi found your site while looking for different soy yogurt for my daughter who is allergic to diary. There might not be milk in the yogurt. Companies have to mark on their food labels any common food allergen in their products and a lot of times they write “may contain” to keep themselves safe in case a does have a trance about of milk in it. I can understand why that might not matter to you anyways, (my daughter eats O’soy and I’m most likely switching yogurts) but I just thought I’d let you know.

By: liz

liz — Sun, 25 May 2008 21:46:44 +0000

I sat at work eating my soy yogurt and read the label I couldnt believe that it had milk in it.What is the point of selling a soy yogurt if it is going to have milk in it, it seems pointless.

By: ryan

ryan — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 20:42:13 +0000

Yeah, I’m pretty sure all soy yogurts except for O’Soy are vegan.

By: Danielle

Danielle — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 20:29:25 +0000

I was just on the Silk website and their Silk soy yogurt is vegan.

By: Bernadette [[for animal rights!]]

Bernadette [[for animal rights!]] — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 16:06:24 +0000

I recently became a vegan, and decided it would be nice to have some yogurt. O’Soy is the only soy yogurt offered at my local store, so I took a look at it. On the front it said “LACTOSE FREE” so I was happy and bought some… BUT when I got home I looked at the back of the yogurts and saw the “CONTAINS MILK” label! I was so mad! And I find the two labels a bit contradicting… Now I have no choice but to eat them, unless someone else in my family will. I mean, it’s sure not doing the cows any good if I throw them away >.<

By: basecolumns

basecolumns — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 03:48:38 +0000

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By: Andrew

Andrew — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 02:47:56 +0000

horrible horrible horrible…I’m wondering if this one is actually a legal issue…reason is that the product is advertised as “dairy free” on the label did not have the same side label before. Our daughter is highly allergic to milk and our understanding from our physician is that the level or “toxins” builds up over time so that our daughter is less likely to become allergy free the more exposure she has.

Does anyone know of legal action taken against companies that advertise dairy free and then later say their product has dairy?

By: Allison

Allison — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 19:40:42 +0000

When I emailed Stonyfield to complain, this is the reply I got from them:

“To answer your question regarding whether O’Soy is completely dairy free, the O’Soy may contain traces due to shared equipment, but it also may contain traces due to the fact that some of the cultures used are dairy based. The cultures are used at such a low level that if any dairy is present it is at a minuscule amount. If you’re highly allergic to dairy we do not recommend usage. The formula has not changed, but if there are any dairy concerns, it is best to consult with your physician.”

I’d written a very vegan-specific complaint letter, and I feel like this response misses the point completely. Maybe if enough of us complain, they’ll reconsider the ingredients they use. Or at least come up with a better form-letter response. Oy!