Artigenda
Eat No Animals Day (Eet Geen Dierendag)
When: Annually, October 4.
On 4 October, the same day as World Animal Day, it’s Eat No Animals Day (Eet Geen Dierendag) in The Netherlands. A day that focus on animal welfare. This day is an initiative of the Dutch animal welfare organization Stichting Wakker Dier. The day wants to point out that it’s possible not to eat animal products.
Stichting Wakker Dier
Stichting Wakker Dier is a Dutch animal welfare organization that calls on World Animal Day not to consume animal products.All because it doesn’t make sense.
Isn’t it a strange idea? On the one day in the year when all animals take centre stage animals eat? Hence why the Wakker Dier, therefore, came up with the idea for “Eet Geen Dieren Dag.” Translate that into English that’s Eat No Animals Day.
The foundation hopes that everyone who participates in this day will decide afterwards not to eat animal products at all or perhaps think about limiting it when it comes to eating animal products.
Hidden animal ingredients
Have you ever heard about hidden animal ingredients?
It is quite easy to participate in this day. When you do the shopping, think about something else you put on the table at dinner, for example. That’s where it starts. If you want to do it all right, think about the other meals in a day too. Also, think about the ‘hidden ingredients.’ For some products, it is not even considered that they contain animal products.
Gelatin
For example, did you know that gelatine is made from offal (bones and animal skins)? Gelatin can be found in everything. Think soup, biscuits or sweets. Gelatine is also used to make some juices clear. This is called clarification. This is just not mentioned on the packaging. It is not compulsory.
Omega 3
How about that good fatty acid omega 3? You find this fatty acid in margarine, for example. Omega 3 is extracted from fish. Plant-based alternatives are available.
Javanese Krupuk
Let’s not forget Javanese Krupuk. You have to be careful here, they’re made from a crustaceans. After all, a shrimp is just a crustacean. You may be allergic to this. If this is not the case, it is still an animal product.
E-numbers
Perhaps the most insidious of all are the E numbers. Of those, you don’t know what they are. We don’t know them all by heart. Certain E numbers are known to always have an animal origin. This is not always explicitly stated. The best known are:
E120 – Karmijn, karmijnzuur of cochenille
Apart from the fact that this is an animal product, you can ask whether it is nice knowing you are eating something from the scale insect (Dactylopius coccus) or cochineal louse. This E number is used in M& Ms, sweets, the pink mouse, cakes, fruit sprinkles, some breakfast cereals, some chewing gums, puddings, ice cream, glazed (or pink) cakes, some soft drinks, some sauces and some snacks, among others.
At a time when there are debates by a certain group within society about whether or not insects should be compulsorily eaten, this E-number is being overlooked…
E542 - Bone meal (phosphate)
It is used to bind various products. The most common applications are dietary supplements and certain types of cane sugar (except for the brands Ekoland, Fair Trade Original, Natufood and Van Gilse). E542 is extracted from ground bones.
E630 - Inosic acid
E631 – Dinatriuminosinate
In both cases, sardines and meat are used for this flavour enhancer. With this, less salt would be needed. The presence of the E numbers can be found in some breads, some chips and snack types (especially E631), salt substitutes, some soft drink types, some dairy products and some dietary supplements.
E640 - Glycine, Glycocol, Sodium salt, Sodium glycinate or Amino acetic acid
Do not be led by the name salt here. These are flavour enhancers, extracted from gelatine and therefore offal. The main applications are (bake-off) bread, certain types of biscuits, cakes, certain soft drink types, certain lemonade syrups, certain snack types, sweeteners and food supplements.
E901 - Beeswax
It’s beautiful, that layer on a biscuit or sandwich. Only what did that layer come about with? It may have been done with E901. So with beeswax. Besides biscuits and bread, this is used in confectionery, various types of chocolate products, certain coffee beans, certain types of chewing gum, ice cream wafers, certain types of snacks and on the skin of fruits, among others. Certain dietary supplements also have this E901 on the ingredient list.
E904 – Shellac
Many companies choose either E120 or E904. It’s just a matter of a different kind of louse. We are talking about the lacquer shield louse. The applicability is identical.
E913 – Lanolin/Wool grease
The applicability is identical to that of E120 and E904. In this case, the extraction is different. The glazing agent is derived from sheep’s wool (therefore: wool grease).
E920 - L-Cysteine
The flour improver and flavour enhancer for bread, among other things. That it comes from meat has been known for some time. A few years ago, it was officially known that L-Cysteine was also extracted from hair. Especially outside Europe, no distinction would be made between animal and human hair. This led to a fuss in the Netherlands in 2012. If you only read this article, you will know exactly what’s going on. So it does raise a possible concern for products coming from outside the EU.
E966 - Lactitol
This product is extracted from whey from milk. Whey is not an animal-friendly product. E966 makes products taste sweet or dissolves other substances. This E-number can be found in sweets, chewing gum, cakes, ice cream, chocolate, sauces, food supplements and certain types of biscuits, among others.
E1000 - Cholic acid
Bovine bile is the basis for this E-number and this E-number is found in protein powder as an emulsifier.
E1105 – Lysozym(hydrochloride)/Muramidase
The protein from chicken eggs provides this preservative and this is used in baby food, certain beers, certain medicines and dietary supplements.
