This disclaimer is an effort to deflect potential lawsuits by people with severe allergies to certain foods (most commonly peanuts, milk protein, or wheat) who can have potentially life-threatening reactions to even miniscule traces of the offending ingredient. (In some cases, even a few parts per million is enough to cause a reaction.)

Even when the trace ingredient is not used in the product being labeled, the disclaimer is shown because there is a chance that a trace amount either is left over from production of another item or is floating airborne in the production facility. Because most companies (and essentially all vegan-oriented companies) are too small to have their own dedicated machinery, they have to contract out to factories where numerous other products are made. Even though a product may be made with entirely vegan ingredients, and even though the machinery is thoroughly cleaned between product runs, there is still a *chance* that a miniscule amount of an offending ingredient might be present in a product with a vegan recipe.

An ever-increasing number of vegan products are being labeled with these disclaimers so that companies can protect themselves from legal liability; this trend continues to grow. The increase in these disclaimers does not mean that more products are being made on non-dedicated machinery. In fact, virtually all vegan products are already made on non-dedicated machinery. Rather, the revised labels simply reflect an increased awareness of potential legal problems on the part of manufacturers.

We at Pangea feel the need to explain the reasoning behind these disclaimers in order to prevent a misconception among vegan customers that products labeled this way aren't really "vegan." While we of course understand the desire to avoid the possibility of accidental trace amounts of animal-derived ingredients in vegan products, we've been forced to recognize that we cannot reasonably expect this wish to be fulfilled. Because products intended for vegans still represent a minute fraction of the number of products manufactured anywhere, most vegan-oriented businesses are nowhere near large enough to purchase dedicated machinery. We feel that it is clearly in the best interest of promoting veganism to support companies that are doing the best they can given the circumstances. If these companies' products are not purchased because of a legal disclaimer, the companies will go out of business, and vegan shoppers will have fewer products available to them. We believe that this in turn will make veganism less viable from a mainstream perspective, which will have a negative impact on the animals.

It is Pangea's position that we will accept into our product line items made with exclusively vegan ingredients, even if the product bears a disclaimer regarding dairy on the packaging. We strongly believe that this stance is the right one to take. We want to make sure, however, that all of our shoppers are aware of why we will sell products that have these disclaimers regarding the possible unintentional contamination of dairy particles. Rest assured, however, that we will never willingly carry a product made with any animal-derived ingredients. Pangea has always been run by vegans for vegans, and we pride ourselves on our meticulous ingredient research.

If you have any questions, please contact us at info@veganstore.com.

Thanks for your support,
Shari, Phil, and the Pangea Staff