Review of Savoury Soup Stock - Bovril by moralcompassion4all

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moralcompassion4all
photo of Bovril Savoury Soup Stock shared by @moralcompassion4all on 21 May 2020 - review

Savoury Soup Stock

VEGAN

Bovril

Rating: 7/10

Grew up having this hearty pantry staple as a kid (I wasn't vegan then, but lucky me!). I used to always stir it into my porridge to make it taste less bland, or simply add it to some hot water for a quick soup.

However, now that I'm all grown up I can't help but wonder just how VEGAN is this soup stock that used to contain beef ingredients...

After all, this Bovril savoury soup stock is only labelled as 'suitable for vegetarians'.

Here's the ingredient list:
Celery extract
Flavourings
Maltodextrin
Rice flour
Salt
Spice extracts
Waxy maize starch
Yeast extract

[AND THESE POTENTIAL RED FLAGS]

**Acid (lactic acid) ❎ most lactic acid is vegan but it's also found in fermented dairy and meats
**Colour (E150c) ☑️ Yes, ammonia caramel is vegan
**Flavour enhancer (disodium 5’-ribonucleotides) ❎ may or may not be vegan; these sodium salts are often obtained from flesh of killed animals but can also come from plants

Hence, I guess the question we should be pondering on is this:

" Should we give these obscure ingredients the benefit of doubt and assume that they aren't animal-derived? Or should we as ethical vegans strive to err on the side of caution? "

Meanwhile, I don't know anything about Marmite or Vegemite for I haven't tried them before.

3 likes
moralcompassion4all Feel free to let me know if Bovril is vegan! Reply
choyyuen Hi, u raised very good questions. I just did a search. So far, there're 29 reviews for marmite in this community. 1 review for bovril, i.e. from you. Marmite is my favourite condiment for my millet porridge. 😋 l list out all its ingredients for you - yeast extract, salt, vegetable extract, niacin, thiamin, spice extracts, riboflavin, folic acid, celery extract, vitamin B12. Its Asian label stated "100% vegetarian", whereas UK label stated "vegan spread".Reply
moralcompassion4all @choyyuen That's interesting to know, thank you! You are curious indeed. Have you tried Bovril before? Hahaha! Only 1 review for Bovril so far 🤔 seems like Marmite has really gained traction, at least in this community.Reply
moralcompassion4all @choyyuen And so...this begs the ultimate question of whether Bovril is vegan. Reply
choyyuen @moralcompassion4all you're welcome! 😄 I came from a family who doesn't take beef. I never eat beef in my life. Bovril used to have beef extract, so I never try this. Beef bovril and chicken bovril are still available on UK tesco & amazon online store. Perhaps a British vegan member can answer your question better. 😅 I belong to the cautious vegan. 😉Reply
moralcompassion4all @choyyuen Ah I see, okay no worries! Being cautious is a good thing in this reckless world.Reply
choyyuen @moralcompassion4all u raised a good question! I am curious too. This bovril vegetarian formula could be vegan friendly but maybe nobody knows yet. I can't find any posting here. Quite strange. 🤔 In future, this app must allow us to post such question to UK members. I think some of them probably know. Update me if someone gives you the answer. 😄Reply
moralcompassion4all @choyyuen Indeed. But this app is used globally, even by Earthling Ed, isn't it? I'll be sure to inform you, haha! Though I don't think anyone will come tell me that anytime soon. By the way, my friend, our 10 reviews = $10 thingy...can we accumulate 100 reviews first before donating all $100 at once? Do you think that's possible? -Instead of donating every 10 reviewsReply
choyyuen @moralcompassion4all yes, connects globally, but...1. there're so many product reviews, they may not see u or know u r raising some questions here. It takes some affinity to meet here too. 2. It may take awhile to identify members nationality. In future, they may include direct messaging feature. So u can ask Earthling ed directly. He'll be very busy! 😆 Yes, my friend, u can accumulate to any amount, round up figures - $10, $20,....$100, etc. Enjoy your posting! 😄Reply
moralcompassion4all @choyyuen Oh cool! :D That's really nice. I guess for now we are just seeing a lot of Malaysians here and Spanish. Hopefully they will improve on this app soon :) I downloaded this app because of Ed's recommendation; if it wasn't for him I wouldn't have discovered this lovely growing community of abillionveg ~Reply
choyyuen @moralcompassion4all This app is only 3 years, already quite good! Definitely more upcoming improvements! Meanwhile, you can read some members reviews and follow some of them. We learn alot from each other. Enjoy! 😄 Reply
moralcompassion4all @choyyuen yeah I agree, this app design is quite aesthetic and the interface is neat 👍 Yup for sure, I have a lot to learn from you senior member haha ~ Posting is a lot of fun, but sometimes much thought goes into writing a good review 😆Reply
choyyuen The answer to your next question - it all depends on individual's choice. For my case, I don't believe in benefit of doubt. 1. I don't dine in non-veg restaurants because there's a chance for cross contamination. 2. I won't accept any invitation in non-veg restaurants no matter how nice the vegan options can be. 3. When I travel, I'll bring my mini cooking pot in case there's no vegan or vegetarian restaurant nearby. However, I don't judge vegans who patronize non-veg restaurants as they help to motivate these restaurants to include more vegan options. It's just a personal choice. 😄Reply
moralcompassion4all Wow, I can only say you are really determined! 👍 Your last statement is so true, and I fully agree with you that it all boils down to discretion and a matter of personal choice.Reply
choyyuen Dear friend, I wrote to unilever, UK. Robert replied it's non UK product. Then I wrote to GBA corporation sdn bhd, Malaysia, which carries Bovril vegetarian formula. Joanne chow (product executive) replied - it doesn't contain dairy & 100% plant-based. I'm surprised they replied so fast. Now we found the answer! 😄Reply
moralcompassion4all Hey buddy! Omg thank you so much for going to such lengths to find out the truth! 🤣👏I am a bit bewildered though the part you said Bovril was not a British foodReply
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