Vegan cheese

Vegan cheeseis a category of non-dairy, plant-basedcheese analogues. Vegan cheeses range from softfresh cheesesto aged and cultured hard grateable cheeses like plant-basedParmesan. The defining characteristic ofvegancheese is the exclusion ofallanimal products.
Vegan cheese can be made with components derived from vegetables, such as proteins, fats and milks (plant milks). It also can be made from seeds, such assesame,sunflower, nuts (cashew,pine nut, peanuts,almond) andsoybeans; other ingredients arecoconut oil,nutritional yeast,tapioca,rice,potatoesandspices.
Fermented tofu(furu) has been documented in China since the late 16th century. The savory product is used as a condiment to accompany rice or porridge. Western sources from the 19th to 21st centuries repeatedly draw a comparison betweenfuruand cheese, going as far as calling it a "nondairy/vegan cheese".
Later homemade vegan cheeses were made fromsoy flour,margarine, andyeast extract. With harder margarine, this can produce a hard vegan cheese that can be sliced; softer margarine produces a softer, spreadable cheese.
The product became commercially available around the 1970s or 1980s.These initial products were lower in quality than dairy cheese or today's vegan cheese, with a waxy, chalky or plastic-like texture.
In the early 1990s, the only brand of vegan cheese available in the United States was Soymage.Since then, the number and types (e.g., mozzarella, cheddar, etc.) of widely available vegan cheeses have diversified.Also, soy-free options have since been explored. In the 1990s, vegan cheese sometimes cost twice as much as dairy cheese.
From 2018 to 2020, several new companies were founded to make animal-free cheese, including New Culture, Change Foods, Legendairy Foods, and Better Dairy. Some use genetically engineered yeast to synthesize cow milk proteins without the use of cows.
From 2018, the market for vegan cheese grew on a global scale. According to market research, Europe had the greatest market share of 43%, followed by North America, Asia-Pacific, South America and Middle East & Africa.The global vegan cheese market is expected to attain a market value of $3.9 billion by the end of 2024, up from $2.1 billion in 2016.
According to the Plant Based Food Association, the US market for plant-based foods is anticipated to reach $4 billion in sales by 2024.The expansion is driven by the increased inclination towards vegetarian sources, rising urban populations, and greater preference towards international foods.Multiple grocery chains expanded their geographical presence within specialty stores and supermarkets to address the anticipated growth for vegan cheeses, with annual sales growth expected at 8%.
The more common types of vegan cheese being manufactured, distributed, and produced through this market aremozzarella,Parmesan,cheddar,Gouda, andcream cheesenon-dairy based cheeses. These vegan cheeses are consumed in restaurants, grocery stores, bakeries,vegan school meals, and in homes. Vegan cheeses are expected to grow and diversify into the mid-2020s.
As of 2017, vegan cheese is generally more expensive than dairy cheese for consumers.
Labeling of vegan cheese, like other vegan dairy analogues, is controversial, with dairy industry groups pushing to prohibit the use of terms like "cheese" on non-dairy products.Labeling purely plant-based products as "cheese" is prohibited in the European Union and the United Kingdom.
In February 2019, aVancouver, British Columbia, vegan cheese shop was ordered by theCanadian Food Inspection Agency(CFIA) to stop calling their products cheese as it was 'misleading' to consumers, despite the store stating that their cheese was always labeled as "dairy-free" and "plant-based".The CFIA later reversed the rejection and stated there was no objection for using the nomenclature "100% dairy-free plant-based cheese" provided that "it is truthful".
European Unionregulations state that terms applicable to dairy products, including "cheese", can be used to market only products derived from animal milk.In June 2017 theCourt of Justice of the European Unionissued a judgement in relation to a German vegan food producer TofuTown, clarifying that purely plant-based products could not be labelled and sold as "plant cheese" or "veggie cheese" (Judgement in case C-422/16).
In theUnited Kingdom, strict standards are applied to food labelling for terms such as "milk", "cheese" and "cream", which are protected to describe dairy products and may not be used to describe non-dairy produce.In 2019, aBrixton, UK, vegan cheese shop was asked by Dairy UK to stop describing products as cheese because it 'misleads shoppers', although the store owners stated their "products were clearly marked as dairy-free."
In 2020, vegan cheese companyMiyoko's Creameryfiled a lawsuit against the California Department of Food and Agriculture after the department ordered the company to stop using dairy words on its packaging.In 2018, the company was sued in New York in a lawsuit that alleged customers were misled by the label "vegan butter".Company founderMiyoko Schinneris a leading advocate for free speech rights relating to vegan foods.
Production and sale of vegan cheese has been banned in Turkey since 2022.
Common plant-based proteins or vegetable proteins used in vegan cheeses are derived from edible sources ofprotein, such assoybeans, almond, and their milk.Food scientists use a "blend of gums, protein, solids, and fats" to create themouthfeeland melt of dairy cheesesince the ones made with nuts do not melt due to the solid base on which they are composed.As of 2024, several startups have developed vegan cheese products which aim to solve this difficulty by making cheese withprecision-fermentedcaseinproduced byyeastrather than by cows,with one company receivingGRASdesignation from the U.S.Food and Drug Administration.
Different methods are used to create texture and taste. Some vegan cheeses are not cultured or aged; instead, acidic ingredients, such as lemon juice, are used to achieve a similar taste to dairy cheese. Ingredients of hard or firm vegan cheeses includes natural agents such asagar,carrageenan,tapioca flour, andxanthan gum.
The manufacturing process offermentationis often used to replicate dairy cheese texture and flavor.However, this is a different process from that used in dairy cheeses, as the proteins in plant-based milk react differently to culturing agents and do not coagulate as traditional cheese does. It must be aged with other methods, asambient temperatureandhumiditymonitoring, and culturing agents, such asrejuvelac, non-dairy yogurt, orkombucha(which are not recommended due to the risks involved in the fermentation process) andkefir grainsthat are recommended but not often used.If these processes are not carried out properly, with goodhygieneand correct fermentation methods, the product can carry pathogens, such asSalmonella,Listeria,E. coli, and others.
The nutritional value of vegan cheese varies.
Most vegan cheese contains nocholesteroland lesssaturated fatthan dairy cheese. Most vegan cheese is low incalcium, though the Go Veggie brand has similar calcium content to dairy cheese. Vegan cheese is generally not a good source ofproteincompared to dairy cheese.
A 1998 study comparingcheddar cheeseto one type of vegan cheese found that the vegan cheese had lower calories, fat, and protein, though protein content of dairy cheese varies by type. The vegan cheese had higherriboflavinandvitamin B12, making it an acceptable replacement for cheddar cheese in terms of those nutrients. On the other hand, the vegan cheese did not providevitamin Aorvitamin D, in contrast to cheddar cheese. The vegan cheese was found to be a useful source of calcium, but not as good a source as cheddar cheese.
Some vegan cheeses may be fortified to provide vitamin B12, while other vegan cheeses are not.