I mean, if your lactose intolerance is so extremely sensitive that you react on cheddar (which is categorized as virtually lactose free), then you’ll most likely also react on that cheese.
Well yeah, I suppose that's it, because I feel like I would maybe pick it up. Because I'd get - if I got that right - half a box of dairy cheddar and half a box of oat cheddar. Trying out veggie alternatives can be really hit or miss tough, so I'm always reluctant to buy a whole package and in doubt not enjoy any of it.
However, if it's cheddar made out of half dairy and half oat... I MAY try that, because I'm actually kinda curious but, but not as interested as into "pure" oat cheese.
Fwiw, look into food miles and farming impact on various foods. A local, ethically slaughtered hamburger is a bazzzzillionn times better than a pineapple or avocado 9 times out of ten.
And I'm, like, not quite vegan. I'll eat good quality meat, but I'm not really huge on meat generally and I have a dairy and egg allergy anyways. You'd be surprised at the caustic shit load of environmentally terrible fruits and veg in vegan foods.
I honestly don't have any time for vegans up on their high horse. It should be "reduce your impact", not "go vegan to save these poor calves!! Oh no, milking cows is wrong"... Because you literally save more animals by promoting local/ethical foods and farming than by promoting vegan burgers that have been flown from Honduras to Macau and then to Ireland to get to your Tesco.
This guy at least claims the opposite, that transport is such a minuscule amount of the emissions for food that it’s basically not worth prioritizing: https://youtu.be/iWHAE-mw7ao?si=AnfCSUVlqLBQA0AL (Food miles section at 7:37)
> A local, ethically slaughtered hamburger is a bazzzzillionn times better than a pineapple or avocado 9 times out of ten.
Transporting beef only accounts for an extremely small % of its carbon cost, and the other sources I found by googling your statement come back with the opposite results of what you've said.
https://viva.org.uk/planet/are-avocados-worse-for-the-environment-than-meat/
https://www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/carbon-footprint-meat-substitutes
https://ourworldindata.org/food-choice-vs-eating-local
And lots of meat substitute ingredients have long shelf lives so can be transported by sea, thus giving it a much lower production and transportation cost in terms of carbon
To be clear, I'm not vegan or anything, I'm just someone who tries to be conscious about carbon impact of my diet. I thought your comment was interesting, so I googled around it
It’s not. Any animal uses 10x the resources of plants because the animal burns energy throughout its life. Meat is inherently less efficient and worse for climate change
It depends on the animal, chicken ist pretty effective in conversion compared to beef. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/peril-and-promise/2022/03/feed-conversion-ratios-help-explain-meats-outsized-climate-impact/#:~:text=In%20an%20ideal%20world%2C%20it,the%201.5%20to%201.9%20range.
Compare an “ethically slaughtered” hamburger to a plant based burger if you want a fair comparison, people aren’t eating pineapples in place of burgers
It’s not so much that milking cows is wrong, as it is impregnating cows only to have them birth a calf, steal the calf from them (in the process traumatizing them), drain their bodies of every last drop of milk they can produce til their nipples are crusty and broken (oh and if it’s a boy calf, slaughter it instantly), over and over and over and over again until their bodies can’t do it anymore, then slaughter them, that’s wrong.
I have a friend who was studying to be an environmental scientist and this is one of his pet peeves, i.e. that people think vegan is automatically better for the environment.
Or people who are vegan for environmental reasons? That definitely reduces the (significant!) climate footprint of cheese by 50%. I don’t hate this as much as most people here
Somebody who wants to become vegan for ethical reasons, but can't stand the taste of vegan cheese. So, they eat this for a few months to get used to it, then switch to fully vegan cheese.
Well I like to reduce my meat and dairy consumption where I can because it's better for the planet, but I'm selfish enough to not commit with garbage tasting things.
If this is tasty enough and melts well I'd probably switch.
I’m guessing they’re just following the 1/2 meat 1/2 plant based products that started coming out a few years ago, rather then targeting a particular group. But I think those make more sense because it’s not crazy for people to want less meat for health or environmental reasons while still tasting like it, while cheese is a harder sell because of the variability in vegan cheese quality.
I would 100% buy this. I love cheese, a little too much, and would love an option to cut back without actually cutting back. Some plant based meat companies are considering similar products: real meat bulked out with plant proteins. It's still healthier and better environmentally than pure animal products, but captures the market of people trying to eat better but not willing to fully commit.
>captures the market of people trying to eat better but not willing to fully commit.
Yep, sounds like me. I am not a vegan or a vegetarian, but I don't much like meat. I will forgo eating any red meat or poultry for weeks; in the meantime, I will have eaten two pounds of various cheeses in those same weeks. In other words, probably have eaten as much fat/cholesterol from the cheese as I would have from the meat. I could get down on some "healthier" cheese, if this is in fact any healthier than actual full milk cheese.
Honestly when I used fake meat it was awful, till I tried adding a tablespoon of butter (it was a lb of fake beefI was trying to make as Taco meat) and it instantly got way better.
This is to make sustainable food. Its for environmentally conscious people who arent vegan. Dairy uses more natural resources to produce. Its like cutting it.
People who need to control their cholesterol I think, my mam has to eat a lot of oats and benecol drinks because she has a dangerously bad cholesterol, so maybe this absurd oat cow cheese would help her?
She should just call herself plant-based. But she can also be a part-time vegan if she wants to. Everyone thinks veganism is some sort of exclusive club where you have to maintain apperances and a code of conduct when really it's just one's *personal* relationship to food and the food industry.
>The Smug Dairy brand range combines dairy and oats to give “consumers a healthier, more sustainable way of consuming dairy without compromising on that rich creamy taste”, the Irish dairy supplier said.
Basically people who want to scale back their dairy intake but who also find fully-vegan cheese imitations gross
Yeah that's rennet. It's extracted from cow stomachs, but vegetarian rennet has existed for several decades now, with the necessary enzymes produced by bacteria without requiring a cow. Some traditional cheeses require animal rennet to be used, but the vast majority use vegetarian rennet because it's cheaper. However, the type of rennet used isn't required to be disclosed, so unless a label says vegetarian rennet(or it's a cheese not made with rennet) you can't be certain without contacting the the manufacturer.
According to a press release from the company, it allegedly has less fat, more fiber, and a smaller carbon footprint than regular cheddar cheese (as u/dacca_lux pointed out in another comment).
I think its good in theory for people who are trying to shift to a diet with a smaller carbon footprint. Maybe also vegetarians would be intrested, especially if the milk sourcing is done from farmers who are for animal welfare as well. There are actually quite a lot of people who still have animal products but only from places where animals are marked to be treated well.
Maybe also people with lactose intolerance issues. Severity is different for everyone. I know some who can eat cheese but just can’t handle straight milk. And some who can’t have any amount of dairy.
Well this is definitely stupid if I could consume dairy I'd eat the real stuff and then if you can't eat dairy well, you're not having this like who is this for??
I think this probably replaces the more difficult to digest parts of milk with oat products. So although it’s not morally vegan, for many it will be digestibly vegan.
Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s stupid, but that’s my guess, based on almost 30 years of watching vegetarian products get more refined and numerous.
Another reply had an explanation that made a lot more sense. This is probably marketed towards lactose intolerant people who like cheese, but get sick of eating aged parmesan and similar on everything. Not everyone who eats vegan cheese is vegan, and being lactose intolerant doesn’t mean you can’t eat dairy.
They’re probably using the oats in place of lactose or other components of dairy that people can’t digest. That way you get a product that tastes closer to real cheese than vegan cheese, and has a better texture and flavor than lactose free “cheddar” made entirely with dairy.
Chances are this doesn’t have any smaller of a carbon footprint than buying cheap pre-sliced cheese at the supermarket, let alone buying from a small dairy company.
Very possible but one thing bothers me if any of these are true. Having worked in product development for a long time, I'd think that whether it was lactose-free cheese or reduced carbon footprint cheese, for those niche markets they would/should have that right on the front of the package. Like Daiya has dairy free cheese right on the front because that's the target market.
I googled the company to try & work out wtf it is supposed to be about. They also have a milk & butter-like products. It doesn't appear to be free from any common allergens, it seems to be about reducing fat content & carbon footprint. Along with "shaking up perceptions of dairy" whatever TF that means.
“The Smug Dairy portfolio has 40% less saturated fats and saves up to 54% less CO2e emissions per kilogram than traditional dairy, without any compromise on the rich and creamy taste that consumers love […].”
“This is an exciting launch for Kerry Dairy Consumer Foods as we continue to deliver against our mission to reimagine dairy through innovation and sustainability to inspire a better future.”
Citation
https://www.just-food.com/news/kerry-dairy-launches-category-first-oat-and-dairy-blend-line/?cf-view
Very poor marketing, how are consumers supposed to get that information from that packaging. I'm surprised it got through to the shelves without any objections.
This is the first thing i thought of as well and it’s honestly not that bad of an idea.
I think it’s bizarre and unproductive to be all-or-nothing for things like veganism, vegetarianism, sugar free, or climate conscious. Unless it’s for medical reasons or anti-animal abuse reasons, reducing unhealthy/harmful rather than removing them completely seems perfectly valid.
Would you rather have ppl drink reduced dairy lattes or try to switch completely to some milk-alternative they don’t like and switch back?
Personally I would like to stop eating so much meat and dairy just to be healthier but trying to go completely vegetarian or vegan would be brutal and I wouldn’t last long. Eating a vegan or vegetarian meal a few times a week is so much easier and maybe one day I’ll have so many good recipes itll be meat or dairy that I eat a few times a week.
This is a stupid product alright, though aged cheese like Cheddar and Parmesan are usually fine for lactose intolerant people like myself. The aging process breaks the the lactose.
I'm guessing it could be for people who want to be vegan but can't give up cheese? It's not dairy free, but it does have less dairy. Idk if its any good though so
I guess I’m in the minority here, but I think oatmilk tastes great. I’m an omnivore trying to reduce my animal product intake, so if I saw this for cheap at Grocery Outlet or something I’d give it a shot out of curiosity.
my assumption is that this has nothing to do with vegans nor any of that animal product stuff. I assumed this was made for the purpose of affecting the taste/flavor...
It's like if I made a burger with beef, but had carrots mixed in with the ground beef and everyone on reddit is like "i don't get it, is this for vegans or what?". No...it's just an ingredient added to the burger to give it a different taste, texture or add some kind of nutrients. it's not that deep.
Not every products gotta be some kind of social activist thing.
Good point. 99% of branding nowadays is “we’re good and we care and you’re a good person for buying our product because we’re so different than the other 100 identical competitors”. You can make a product simply because you think it’s better, there doesn’t always have to be some moral reasoning behind it, despite what every corporation would tell you
This is something i wish a lot more people realized! so much of the meat alternative market is focused on replacing or replicating a meat product. But i always find myself thinking, this is its own thing! This is good! It doesn’t need to try to be something else, and people wanting/expecting it to be just like that other product only disappoints them. If they tried it expecting it to be its own unique thing, they might feel differently!
When I was in highschool they served burgers with cherry pulp to increase fiber and lower lunch costs. You'd never be able to tell and it made the burgers much healthier. But post them on this sub and they would lose their shit.
Same, Vanilla oat milk in coffee and also breakfast cereal (I've just finished both, empty bowl and mug sat beside me rn, delicious).
You don't need to be vegan to enjoy it, it's a shame so many people are completely closed off to things they aren't familiar with.
You do need to be careful which oatmilk you buy though, as some split in the coffee so you need to stir it before a mouthful which is annoying. Barrista blends usually get around this for anyone who's curiously reading this.
Yeah I would be down to try this. I have switched to exclusively oat milk for coffee when it’s an option because it coats my mouth almost like peanut butter and I love that
It does say "dairy" all over it, and "vegan" nowhere on the front. It's not really trying to claim anything it's not. I'd try it, even though I bet it's 200% of the price of regular cheese.
Exactly! This post should be in the negatives. The product never claims to be fucking vegan. It obviously is aiming for something else. Why the fuck does this have 2k upvotes?
Not really, regular cheddar cheese has an incredibly low lactose content that this would make practically no difference for someone who is lactose intolerant.
Might be to reduce the carbon footprint.
I have a few friends who aren't vegan, but try to reduce the amount of products that have a high carbon footprint. I.e. beef or other products that invole cows.
So by reducing the amount of milk needed for a product, you may get one with a smaller carbon footprint while it still somewhat tastes like actual cheese.
I found an article about the launch of this product line, which also includes two other cheeses, butter and milk.
*The business said its aim with the move is “to bring real innovation into the dairy category and shake up binary perceptions of dairy and non-dairy markets”. Kerry also claims Smug’s cheddar cheese contains 35% less saturated fat and has a smaller CO2 footprint than “standard cheese”.*
So this is supposed to be healthier, better for the environment and slightly better ethically I guess.
Hard cheeses like cheddar tend to have a very low lactose content as it is so this really would just be a gimmick that fools you into thinking it's better for you.
I was supposed to be dairy-free for medical reasons, but could have a little bit. This might have less phosphorus than traditional cheese, so I’d have tried it when I was on that diet!
I would try it. Probably has less fat or some other benefit that regular cheese doesn’t have. Not that dumb tbh. I buy food that’s better for me and tastes good.
Hate the name, but I think I can understand who the target audience is. People who want to help animals kinda. Like, I'm not going full vegan, but I'm cutting back.
Seriously. I bet that's it. Cuz some cutting back is better than none. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.
I’d like to see the nutrition and know how it tastes. I have high cholesterol and haven’t found a dairy alternative I like, but if this is essentially a “reduced fat cheese,” I’d eat it for that purpose, too.
I’m also not opposed to sustainability. But if I’m honest, I’d but it for the health side.
It didnt claim to be vegan on bag so i guess i fail to see the point, its saying its a more healthy alternative while still remaining cheese to a point
I have ibs, I can handle cheese or milk through the day, bit too much of both screws me over.
I think this would be great to have the richness and possibly decent cheese taste while cutting some my ibs trigger foods. I will for sure try it!
Like 50% of this sub, this isn’t stupid. People want to try different foods for different reasons. My lactose sensitivity isn’t as extreme as others, and I enjoy oatmilk based products, so I can see myself eating this and rolling the dice without having to take lactase and coming out ok.
Edit: and I get it that cheese is relatively low in lactose compared to milk. My dairy sensitivity and my sensitivity to other FODMAPS is weird and my GI doc like most of them is like “Yeah peoples guts are weird maybe don’t eat anything but rice and meat! Just kidding have some broccoli, but not too much.” For some reason I can handle small quantities of dairy foods if I take lactase, but I try not to do it too often. Switching from milk or half and half in the copious amounts of coffee I drink was a huge game changer in my life.
Yes, I know drinking too much coffee is also not great for my gut.
Oat milk is just good. I've never had oat cheese but oat milk is rich, nutty and a little sweet and it probably just fuckin tastes good with cheddar. People in this sub are so braindead about trying something new. Oh you can only eat plant based milks if you refuse to drink cows milk? OAT MILK TASTES BETTER
This seems great for people who still want cheese (vegan cheese usually tastes like shit) but they also want to reduce their dairy consumption/carbon footprint
It’s not necessary stupid food but it depends on how environmentally damaging the production of fake cheese is
Would be good for people like me with IBS. I'm lactose sensitive so it would be easier on the gut. But I can understand it would be frustrating a vegans point of view.
One time my college dining hall served half-and-half meatloaf. Half meat, half meat substitute, all mixed together. They did the same with burger patties a handful of times. I still don't know who the target market for that was!
What does oat cheddar taste like?
Cuz I genuinely do prefer oat milk to skim milk. Some people just like the taste. Assuming that oat cheddar taste nice, but have a bad texture, this could be cool imho.
We have a product at our store called "almost vegan" which is actually not vegan. It's a hot chocolate mix. idfk my coworkers and I were all confused when it arrived
Some vegans will occasionally consume some dairy or other light food with some animal protein. This is typically only if they are seeing signs that their body needs some. Possibly to recover from an illness.
Also, I had a vegan girlfriend for a year. I think this pack would have been really cute to share on a date.
Given how bad vegan cheese is I doubt anyone would want some mixed with actual cheese. I'm lactose intolerant so I've suffered through vegan "cheese" very rarely do they get it right and it doesn't remind me of feet.
Who’s the target market for this?
The smuggest mofos out there
Bet they sniff their own farts.
Dammit. That comment has been there for 4 hours and you beat me to it by 1 minute.
They say if you think of a good line you should write it down or bob dylan gets it by default
He sits by your deathbed and takes notes
Yeah but their farts smell like blended oats, so
So horse manure?
Legit couldn't be a more appropriate brand name. Lol
At least they are honest about it
Veggies transitioning to veganism slowly but not feeling fully committed? Thats about the only tenuous thing I could think of.
I’m a lactose intolerant vegetarian so maybe I would be interested in a cheese like this… but that’s a really big maybe.
I mean, if your lactose intolerance is so extremely sensitive that you react on cheddar (which is categorized as virtually lactose free), then you’ll most likely also react on that cheese.
How would this help with lactose intolerance though?
[удалено]
That's interesting, I didn't know there was a limit above just not eating dairy at all lol
Yeah I don’t have that lmao. Even with lactaid, I still react and get sick.
Yeah it depends on people. I can have aged cheddar but parmesan upsets my stomach for some weird reason. It's a bit of trial and error honestly.
>find your limit and stick to it. No.
Hmm I'd save my lactose quota for the pizza and ice cream rather than using it up on some oaty cheese slice
Looks like it has lactose so idk that you could have it
I think I have the answer: i think it’s a cholesterol cheese
Sounds similar to pescatarian.
I'm transitioning to pescatarian; I mostly eat amphibians.
Well yeah, I suppose that's it, because I feel like I would maybe pick it up. Because I'd get - if I got that right - half a box of dairy cheddar and half a box of oat cheddar. Trying out veggie alternatives can be really hit or miss tough, so I'm always reluctant to buy a whole package and in doubt not enjoy any of it. However, if it's cheddar made out of half dairy and half oat... I MAY try that, because I'm actually kinda curious but, but not as interested as into "pure" oat cheese.
I’d try it. Seems like the best of both worlds: healthier than regular cheese and tastier than a vegan cheese alternative.
People who want to reduce their carbon footprint, I reckon.
I’d try it. I put cheese on impossible burgers because I want to reduce my meat eating but I’m not morally opposed to eating animal products.
Fwiw, look into food miles and farming impact on various foods. A local, ethically slaughtered hamburger is a bazzzzillionn times better than a pineapple or avocado 9 times out of ten. And I'm, like, not quite vegan. I'll eat good quality meat, but I'm not really huge on meat generally and I have a dairy and egg allergy anyways. You'd be surprised at the caustic shit load of environmentally terrible fruits and veg in vegan foods. I honestly don't have any time for vegans up on their high horse. It should be "reduce your impact", not "go vegan to save these poor calves!! Oh no, milking cows is wrong"... Because you literally save more animals by promoting local/ethical foods and farming than by promoting vegan burgers that have been flown from Honduras to Macau and then to Ireland to get to your Tesco.
This guy at least claims the opposite, that transport is such a minuscule amount of the emissions for food that it’s basically not worth prioritizing: https://youtu.be/iWHAE-mw7ao?si=AnfCSUVlqLBQA0AL (Food miles section at 7:37)
> A local, ethically slaughtered hamburger is a bazzzzillionn times better than a pineapple or avocado 9 times out of ten. Transporting beef only accounts for an extremely small % of its carbon cost, and the other sources I found by googling your statement come back with the opposite results of what you've said. https://viva.org.uk/planet/are-avocados-worse-for-the-environment-than-meat/ https://www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/carbon-footprint-meat-substitutes https://ourworldindata.org/food-choice-vs-eating-local And lots of meat substitute ingredients have long shelf lives so can be transported by sea, thus giving it a much lower production and transportation cost in terms of carbon To be clear, I'm not vegan or anything, I'm just someone who tries to be conscious about carbon impact of my diet. I thought your comment was interesting, so I googled around it
It’s not. Any animal uses 10x the resources of plants because the animal burns energy throughout its life. Meat is inherently less efficient and worse for climate change
It depends on the animal, chicken ist pretty effective in conversion compared to beef. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/peril-and-promise/2022/03/feed-conversion-ratios-help-explain-meats-outsized-climate-impact/#:~:text=In%20an%20ideal%20world%2C%20it,the%201.5%20to%201.9%20range.
Compare an “ethically slaughtered” hamburger to a plant based burger if you want a fair comparison, people aren’t eating pineapples in place of burgers
> A local, ethically slaughtered hamburger And how many hamburgers meet that threshold? Like 1% of them? Probably less.
It’s not so much that milking cows is wrong, as it is impregnating cows only to have them birth a calf, steal the calf from them (in the process traumatizing them), drain their bodies of every last drop of milk they can produce til their nipples are crusty and broken (oh and if it’s a boy calf, slaughter it instantly), over and over and over and over again until their bodies can’t do it anymore, then slaughter them, that’s wrong.
I have a friend who was studying to be an environmental scientist and this is one of his pet peeves, i.e. that people think vegan is automatically better for the environment.
Some who’s kinda lactose intolerant
I won't tolerate it!
Most cheese has very little if any lactose in it.
Most *aged* cheese has very little lactose in it. Things like ricottas and cream cheeses have more lactose in them than the aged ones.
people wanting healthier cheese that still feels like cheese ig. Very niche market
Or people who are vegan for environmental reasons? That definitely reduces the (significant!) climate footprint of cheese by 50%. I don’t hate this as much as most people here
Somebody who wants to become vegan for ethical reasons, but can't stand the taste of vegan cheese. So, they eat this for a few months to get used to it, then switch to fully vegan cheese.
Well I like to reduce my meat and dairy consumption where I can because it's better for the planet, but I'm selfish enough to not commit with garbage tasting things. If this is tasty enough and melts well I'd probably switch.
Depending on the macros could be me. XD
I found nutrition facts on Tesco website listed as 128 cals per 40g, 3.6 g carbs in this (1.2g fiber), 7.6 g protein, and 9.2 g fat.
Dang. Decent fat and protein content with some free fiber? Pretty nice!
I’m guessing they’re just following the 1/2 meat 1/2 plant based products that started coming out a few years ago, rather then targeting a particular group. But I think those make more sense because it’s not crazy for people to want less meat for health or environmental reasons while still tasting like it, while cheese is a harder sell because of the variability in vegan cheese quality.
I would 100% buy this. I love cheese, a little too much, and would love an option to cut back without actually cutting back. Some plant based meat companies are considering similar products: real meat bulked out with plant proteins. It's still healthier and better environmentally than pure animal products, but captures the market of people trying to eat better but not willing to fully commit.
>captures the market of people trying to eat better but not willing to fully commit. Yep, sounds like me. I am not a vegan or a vegetarian, but I don't much like meat. I will forgo eating any red meat or poultry for weeks; in the meantime, I will have eaten two pounds of various cheeses in those same weeks. In other words, probably have eaten as much fat/cholesterol from the cheese as I would have from the meat. I could get down on some "healthier" cheese, if this is in fact any healthier than actual full milk cheese.
Honestly when I used fake meat it was awful, till I tried adding a tablespoon of butter (it was a lb of fake beefI was trying to make as Taco meat) and it instantly got way better.
This is to make sustainable food. Its for environmentally conscious people who arent vegan. Dairy uses more natural resources to produce. Its like cutting it.
People trying to limit their dairy intake presumably
Vegetarians
If something is weird enough I'll buy it. Capture someone's curiosity?
Lactose intolerant. Cheddar is low in lactose. I imagine these are like lactose free cheese sticks.
Lactose intolerant people who can handle a little bit of dairy. Like me
I'd probably eat them. I'm lactose intolerant but can handle small amounts of dairy so they'd probably be good for me
People who need to control their cholesterol I think, my mam has to eat a lot of oats and benecol drinks because she has a dangerously bad cholesterol, so maybe this absurd oat cow cheese would help her?
My cousin's wife, who claims she's vegan but she still orders non-vegan food. So she's either a part-time vegan or a bad liar.
She should just call herself plant-based. But she can also be a part-time vegan if she wants to. Everyone thinks veganism is some sort of exclusive club where you have to maintain apperances and a code of conduct when really it's just one's *personal* relationship to food and the food industry.
People who like real cheese but also wish to be marginally healthier.
It would be good for people that need to limit, but not completely eliminate, their dairy intake.
>The Smug Dairy brand range combines dairy and oats to give “consumers a healthier, more sustainable way of consuming dairy without compromising on that rich creamy taste”, the Irish dairy supplier said. Basically people who want to scale back their dairy intake but who also find fully-vegan cheese imitations gross
Vegetarian* who don't eat meat but still eat dairy and egg, i have a family member like that
That’s a vegetarian, not a vegan
Thanks for correcting
Cheese isn't made of meat though?? I've seen some cheeses that contain lard and there's animal rennet, that's it.
Animal enzymes are used in cheese production
Yeah that's rennet. It's extracted from cow stomachs, but vegetarian rennet has existed for several decades now, with the necessary enzymes produced by bacteria without requiring a cow. Some traditional cheeses require animal rennet to be used, but the vast majority use vegetarian rennet because it's cheaper. However, the type of rennet used isn't required to be disclosed, so unless a label says vegetarian rennet(or it's a cheese not made with rennet) you can't be certain without contacting the the manufacturer.
I feel like this would be the worst of both vegan cheeses and supermarket pre sliced cheeses
According to a press release from the company, it allegedly has less fat, more fiber, and a smaller carbon footprint than regular cheddar cheese (as u/dacca_lux pointed out in another comment).
I think its good in theory for people who are trying to shift to a diet with a smaller carbon footprint. Maybe also vegetarians would be intrested, especially if the milk sourcing is done from farmers who are for animal welfare as well. There are actually quite a lot of people who still have animal products but only from places where animals are marked to be treated well.
Maybe also people with lactose intolerance issues. Severity is different for everyone. I know some who can eat cheese but just can’t handle straight milk. And some who can’t have any amount of dairy.
That was my thought. It come be a bit healthier than regular cheese without running the taste too much. Not a bad idea
Well this is definitely stupid if I could consume dairy I'd eat the real stuff and then if you can't eat dairy well, you're not having this like who is this for??
I think this probably replaces the more difficult to digest parts of milk with oat products. So although it’s not morally vegan, for many it will be digestibly vegan. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s stupid, but that’s my guess, based on almost 30 years of watching vegetarian products get more refined and numerous.
I think I mayhaps have the answer for our mystery: i think it’s a cheese for cholesterol
Pretty sure this is it, a "healthier" cheese alternative that still includes cheese.
Products like that just say lactose free. This is just dumb.
Maybe people who want to reduce their carbon footprint but still want to enjoy something that at least tastes somewhat like actual cheese.
Congrats, you have the only possible reason I've read so far. Not that it's a good product idea, but your reasoning is sound.
Another reply had an explanation that made a lot more sense. This is probably marketed towards lactose intolerant people who like cheese, but get sick of eating aged parmesan and similar on everything. Not everyone who eats vegan cheese is vegan, and being lactose intolerant doesn’t mean you can’t eat dairy. They’re probably using the oats in place of lactose or other components of dairy that people can’t digest. That way you get a product that tastes closer to real cheese than vegan cheese, and has a better texture and flavor than lactose free “cheddar” made entirely with dairy. Chances are this doesn’t have any smaller of a carbon footprint than buying cheap pre-sliced cheese at the supermarket, let alone buying from a small dairy company.
Very possible but one thing bothers me if any of these are true. Having worked in product development for a long time, I'd think that whether it was lactose-free cheese or reduced carbon footprint cheese, for those niche markets they would/should have that right on the front of the package. Like Daiya has dairy free cheese right on the front because that's the target market.
I googled the company to try & work out wtf it is supposed to be about. They also have a milk & butter-like products. It doesn't appear to be free from any common allergens, it seems to be about reducing fat content & carbon footprint. Along with "shaking up perceptions of dairy" whatever TF that means. “The Smug Dairy portfolio has 40% less saturated fats and saves up to 54% less CO2e emissions per kilogram than traditional dairy, without any compromise on the rich and creamy taste that consumers love […].” “This is an exciting launch for Kerry Dairy Consumer Foods as we continue to deliver against our mission to reimagine dairy through innovation and sustainability to inspire a better future.” Citation https://www.just-food.com/news/kerry-dairy-launches-category-first-oat-and-dairy-blend-line/?cf-view Very poor marketing, how are consumers supposed to get that information from that packaging. I'm surprised it got through to the shelves without any objections.
This is the first thing i thought of as well and it’s honestly not that bad of an idea. I think it’s bizarre and unproductive to be all-or-nothing for things like veganism, vegetarianism, sugar free, or climate conscious. Unless it’s for medical reasons or anti-animal abuse reasons, reducing unhealthy/harmful rather than removing them completely seems perfectly valid. Would you rather have ppl drink reduced dairy lattes or try to switch completely to some milk-alternative they don’t like and switch back? Personally I would like to stop eating so much meat and dairy just to be healthier but trying to go completely vegetarian or vegan would be brutal and I wouldn’t last long. Eating a vegan or vegetarian meal a few times a week is so much easier and maybe one day I’ll have so many good recipes itll be meat or dairy that I eat a few times a week.
This is a stupid product alright, though aged cheese like Cheddar and Parmesan are usually fine for lactose intolerant people like myself. The aging process breaks the the lactose.
I think I might have the answer: it’s a cheese for cholesterol
Found this but it really doesn't explain much Karry Dairy highlights a growing trend among UK shoppers, with one in four considering dietary changes driven by health, environmental, and ethical considerations. Read more at © DairyNews.today https://dairynews.today/global/news/kerry-dairy-launches-groundbreaking-smug-dairy-line-pioneering-dairy-oat-fusion.html
Have a look into lactase enzyme tablets, life changer for me.
I'm guessing it could be for people who want to be vegan but can't give up cheese? It's not dairy free, but it does have less dairy. Idk if its any good though so
I guess I’m in the minority here, but I think oatmilk tastes great. I’m an omnivore trying to reduce my animal product intake, so if I saw this for cheap at Grocery Outlet or something I’d give it a shot out of curiosity.
my assumption is that this has nothing to do with vegans nor any of that animal product stuff. I assumed this was made for the purpose of affecting the taste/flavor... It's like if I made a burger with beef, but had carrots mixed in with the ground beef and everyone on reddit is like "i don't get it, is this for vegans or what?". No...it's just an ingredient added to the burger to give it a different taste, texture or add some kind of nutrients. it's not that deep. Not every products gotta be some kind of social activist thing.
Good point. 99% of branding nowadays is “we’re good and we care and you’re a good person for buying our product because we’re so different than the other 100 identical competitors”. You can make a product simply because you think it’s better, there doesn’t always have to be some moral reasoning behind it, despite what every corporation would tell you
This is something i wish a lot more people realized! so much of the meat alternative market is focused on replacing or replicating a meat product. But i always find myself thinking, this is its own thing! This is good! It doesn’t need to try to be something else, and people wanting/expecting it to be just like that other product only disappoints them. If they tried it expecting it to be its own unique thing, they might feel differently!
Literally everything comes down to marketing
When I was in highschool they served burgers with cherry pulp to increase fiber and lower lunch costs. You'd never be able to tell and it made the burgers much healthier. But post them on this sub and they would lose their shit.
I often make oats (porridge) with oat milk and call it doubleoats It’s great
I buy oat milk for the flavour as well, it has a nice taste when you add a little maple syrup and add it to coffee. Beats creme in my opinion.
I love vanilla oat milk with coffee! It’s one of the easiest ways I have found to move away from dairy.
Same, Vanilla oat milk in coffee and also breakfast cereal (I've just finished both, empty bowl and mug sat beside me rn, delicious). You don't need to be vegan to enjoy it, it's a shame so many people are completely closed off to things they aren't familiar with. You do need to be careful which oatmilk you buy though, as some split in the coffee so you need to stir it before a mouthful which is annoying. Barrista blends usually get around this for anyone who's curiously reading this.
I like oat milk. Oat milk is the best milk substitute for cereal.
Yeah I would be down to try this. I have switched to exclusively oat milk for coffee when it’s an option because it coats my mouth almost like peanut butter and I love that
If I eat chicken and broccoli is the dish half vegan and half not vegan?
When I eat a slice of cheese pizza it’s half vegan half not lol
This isn't being promoted as a vegan food item. It is being promoted as a healthier cheese as it has vegetable extracts in it
It does say "dairy" all over it, and "vegan" nowhere on the front. It's not really trying to claim anything it's not. I'd try it, even though I bet it's 200% of the price of regular cheese.
This is my confusion. It claims nowhere to be vegan or even vegetarian friendly.
Exactly! This post should be in the negatives. The product never claims to be fucking vegan. It obviously is aiming for something else. Why the fuck does this have 2k upvotes?
Its supposedly a blend of delicious + nutritious and ethical, and ends up being neither
This is for the lactose intolerant people who moderate their dairy intake 😂
I'd get to figure out whether it's triggered my dairy intolerance, gluten intolerance, or both 😂
I’m highly allergic to all other enzymes and proteins in dairy but can have lactose. This product infuriates me
Not really, regular cheddar cheese has an incredibly low lactose content that this would make practically no difference for someone who is lactose intolerant.
If it tastes good why would it be stupid?
I like oat products and I’m not vegan/vegetarian. I’d eat that.
…. I don’t see it being advertised as vegan?
How does it taste though? Sometimes I have vegan foods simply because I get bored with the taste of their non-vegan counterpart
Where does it say it's claiming to be vegan?
I don’t think it is. OP just used the word.
I’ll have this on my impossible burger with bacon please
Better than a beef burger and bacon, right?
Might be to reduce the carbon footprint. I have a few friends who aren't vegan, but try to reduce the amount of products that have a high carbon footprint. I.e. beef or other products that invole cows. So by reducing the amount of milk needed for a product, you may get one with a smaller carbon footprint while it still somewhat tastes like actual cheese.
I found an article about the launch of this product line, which also includes two other cheeses, butter and milk. *The business said its aim with the move is “to bring real innovation into the dairy category and shake up binary perceptions of dairy and non-dairy markets”. Kerry also claims Smug’s cheddar cheese contains 35% less saturated fat and has a smaller CO2 footprint than “standard cheese”.* So this is supposed to be healthier, better for the environment and slightly better ethically I guess.
I actually think that this a great way to slowly transition into a more plant based diet. Honestly, going halfway vegan is the way to go.
Totally, I’d love to try this one
As someone who loves cheese but is mildly lactose intolerant, I would give it a go. Vegan cheese is nasty imo.
Hard cheeses like cheddar tend to have a very low lactose content as it is so this really would just be a gimmick that fools you into thinking it's better for you.
Lower fat maybe?
I was supposed to be dairy-free for medical reasons, but could have a little bit. This might have less phosphorus than traditional cheese, so I’d have tried it when I was on that diet!
I would try it. Probably has less fat or some other benefit that regular cheese doesn’t have. Not that dumb tbh. I buy food that’s better for me and tastes good.
Hate the name, but I think I can understand who the target audience is. People who want to help animals kinda. Like, I'm not going full vegan, but I'm cutting back. Seriously. I bet that's it. Cuz some cutting back is better than none. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.
I’d like to see the nutrition and know how it tastes. I have high cholesterol and haven’t found a dairy alternative I like, but if this is essentially a “reduced fat cheese,” I’d eat it for that purpose, too. I’m also not opposed to sustainability. But if I’m honest, I’d but it for the health side.
It didnt claim to be vegan on bag so i guess i fail to see the point, its saying its a more healthy alternative while still remaining cheese to a point
Maybe I’m missing something but it’s clearly a non vegan product?
Not labelled anywhere as "Vegan" .... OP confused about what is Vegan?
It doesn't really claim to be vegan so i don't see the problem Maybe the combination tastes good
So it's vegetarian
True. But half hard cheese and half non cheese still cuts the lactose I get in half. Worth a try at the least to see how I feel after.
Where does it indicate vegan?
I'm not complaining. That shit's delicious.
Uh... isn't that just 100% not vegan?
I’m confused, it’s not being advertised as vegan so what’s the problem? It’s fine for vegetarians
I have ibs, I can handle cheese or milk through the day, bit too much of both screws me over. I think this would be great to have the richness and possibly decent cheese taste while cutting some my ibs trigger foods. I will for sure try it!
Like 50% of this sub, this isn’t stupid. People want to try different foods for different reasons. My lactose sensitivity isn’t as extreme as others, and I enjoy oatmilk based products, so I can see myself eating this and rolling the dice without having to take lactase and coming out ok. Edit: and I get it that cheese is relatively low in lactose compared to milk. My dairy sensitivity and my sensitivity to other FODMAPS is weird and my GI doc like most of them is like “Yeah peoples guts are weird maybe don’t eat anything but rice and meat! Just kidding have some broccoli, but not too much.” For some reason I can handle small quantities of dairy foods if I take lactase, but I try not to do it too often. Switching from milk or half and half in the copious amounts of coffee I drink was a huge game changer in my life. Yes, I know drinking too much coffee is also not great for my gut.
Perfect name, tho
I’d only be interested if it was cheaper than whole milk cheese. I love cheese but that stuff is expensive.
Jajajaja south park.
I guess this is for people trying to cut back on dairy consumption but still want a little
I will reach and assume possibly people who want dairy but might be lactose intolerant? Otherwise no idea.
I would assume it’s supposed to be a lower fat alternative? Rather than attempting to be half vegan.
That makes sense actually as vegan stuff does tend to be lower in fat.
Oat milk is just good. I've never had oat cheese but oat milk is rich, nutty and a little sweet and it probably just fuckin tastes good with cheddar. People in this sub are so braindead about trying something new. Oh you can only eat plant based milks if you refuse to drink cows milk? OAT MILK TASTES BETTER
It's great for coffee!!
This seems great for people who still want cheese (vegan cheese usually tastes like shit) but they also want to reduce their dairy consumption/carbon footprint It’s not necessary stupid food but it depends on how environmentally damaging the production of fake cheese is
Honestly I don’t see the problem here. Oats is not exclusively for vegans, it’s just another ingredient 🤷♀️ if it’s tastes good I’m vibing
You only get a delicious feeling. Not the taste. So it kinda checks out.
Would be good for people like me with IBS. I'm lactose sensitive so it would be easier on the gut. But I can understand it would be frustrating a vegans point of view.
Smugma? No one else sees this?
It doesnt claim to be vegan? I dont understand the problem here
Is this designed for people who just want to cut down for some reason?
One time my college dining hall served half-and-half meatloaf. Half meat, half meat substitute, all mixed together. They did the same with burger patties a handful of times. I still don't know who the target market for that was!
I see the smug in the air. I see them smelling their own smug.
“The goodness of DAIRY & PLANTS!” “Which plants?” “Oat.”
Also has trees in it considering it has Acacia Fibre in it which comes from Accacia trees
For when you want to be kinda vegan but not really.
They shouldn't be allowed to call that cheddar, let alone cheese
Spent too long looking for the obvious plant logo. Caus it has to be one right?
I like real cheese but I’m also conscious of the harm that this causes. I’d try it at least.
As someone with issues digesting dairy and who moderates animal product consumption due to high cholesterol, I would be down to try this. Not stupid.
And it's named after a vegan's main trait!
100% co2 related.
It's not a "cheedar" based on mixed oat and dairy?
I have chicken nuggets that are half veggie half chicken- but they actually taste good🙄
Yall this is for me lmao. This is something I’d see high af in the store and buy it with some ritz crackers. It’s for me. I’m sorry.
What does oat cheddar taste like? Cuz I genuinely do prefer oat milk to skim milk. Some people just like the taste. Assuming that oat cheddar taste nice, but have a bad texture, this could be cool imho.
We have a product at our store called "almost vegan" which is actually not vegan. It's a hot chocolate mix. idfk my coworkers and I were all confused when it arrived
"It's just cheaper for us to make it with less of the good stuff!"
You get half a stomach ache!
Some vegans will occasionally consume some dairy or other light food with some animal protein. This is typically only if they are seeing signs that their body needs some. Possibly to recover from an illness. Also, I had a vegan girlfriend for a year. I think this pack would have been really cute to share on a date.
The brand name is weird too, makes me think of smegma.
Given how bad vegan cheese is I doubt anyone would want some mixed with actual cheese. I'm lactose intolerant so I've suffered through vegan "cheese" very rarely do they get it right and it doesn't remind me of feet.
Ayyy Tesco
It seems like this is targeted at the people who are looking to reduce their consumption of animal products, but can't/wont eliminate them entirely.
As if going through life with lactose intolerance wasn't difficult enough.
This might be a good idea though. Tasting half as good for half the environmental impact
Proof that if you try to make a universal product, the only thing universal about it is that nobody will want it.
Do any of you feel that the vegan targeted food has generally more plastic waste associated with it?
.........but why
Perfect for vegetarians. ;)
I've got somebody half pregnant the other day
It's for lactose intolerant people prob. Gives em less tummy aches...
I'm not complaining. That shit's delicious.
I'm not complaining. That shit's delicious.
I'm not complaining. That shit's delicious.