episode recorded on sept 20th 2008 and additional commentary from the august 24th recording date will be crammed in here too.
Link to the podcast blog entry – Listen to the podcast directly
Keep in mind that companies often change formulations. These ingredient lists featured on this blog acts as a time capsule, indicating which formulations were tasted during each respective episode. If the company changed the formulation since the episode’s recording date, the taste tests are out of date, and probably now taste better than we indicated.
OREO (nabisco)
Sugar, Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Folic Acid), High Oleic Canola Oil and/or Palm Oil and/or Canola Oil, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Baking Soda, Cornstarch, Salt, Soy Lecithin (Emulsifier), Vanillin – an Artificial Flavor, Chocolate.
3 cookies = 7 g fat / 2 g saturated / 160 calories
2 cookies = 4.6 g fat / 1.3 g saturated / 106 calories
Famous Amos (kelloggs) (17.5 oz package – kosher dairy)
sugar, enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate [vitamin B1], riboflavin [vitamin B2], folic acid), vegetable oil (soybean, palm & palm kernel oil with TBHQ for freshness), cocoa treated with alkali, high fructose corn syrup, degerminated yellow corn flour, contains 2% or less of cornstarch, leavening (baking soda, monocalcium phosphate), salt, soy lecithin, artificial flavor.
CONTAINS WHEAT AND SOY INGREDIENTS. MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF PEANUTS.
3 cookies = 7 g fat / 2.5 g saturated / 170 calories
2 cookies = 4.6 g fat / 1.6 g saturated / 113 calories
TJ’s joe joe’s (20 oz package – kosher dairy)
Sugar, enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), palm oil, expeller pressed soybean oil, cocoa processed with alkali, evaporated cane juice syrup, corn starch, natural flavors, baking soda, salt, soy lecithin, vanilla bean seeds
Made on equipment shared with milk, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts.
2 cookies = 6 g fat / 2 g saturated / 130 calories
Back to Nature (back to nature foods) (12 oz package – kosher dairy)
unbleached enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid) organic evaporated cane juice, raw sugar (turbinado sugar), palm oil, expeller pressed oleic safflower oil, cocoa (processed with alkali), brown rice syrup, organic cornstarch, baking soda, sea salt, soy lecithin (emulsifier), natural flavor
2 cookies = 6 g fat / 2 g saturated / 130 calories
Late July Vanilla Bean with Green Tea Cookies (1.7 oz package – kosher dairy)
organic wheat flour, organic powdered evaporated cane juice with organic cornstarch, organic palm oil, organic evaporated cane juice, organic whole wheat flour, organic cocoa (processed with alkali), organic brown rice syrup, organic vanilla extract, organic evaporated cane juice syrup, organic roasted barley, organic chocolate liquor, sodium bicarbonate, soy lecithin, organic cocoa butter, sea salt, organic green tea extract.
contains wheat and soy, made in a plant that processes milk, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts.
2 cookies = 5.5 g fat / 2.5 g saturated / 115 calories
Newman-O’s (9 oz package – kosher dairy)
Organic Unbleached Wheat Flour, Organic Sugar, Organic Powdered Sugar (organic sugar, organic corn starch), Organic Palm Fruit Oil, Canola Oil (Expeller Pressed), Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Unsweetened Chocolate, Natural Flavor, Salt, Sodium Bicarbonate, Soy Lecithin (an Emulsifier).
Manufactured on equipment that may process products containing peanuts, other nuts, and milk powder.
2 cookies = 5 g fat / 1.5 saturated / 130 calories
Country Choice Organic (12 oz package – kosher dairy)
Organic Wheat Flour, Organic Powdered Sugar With Organic Corn Starch, Organic High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Organic Sugar, Organic Cocoa Processed With Alkali, Organic Cane Syrup, Organic chocolate Liquor, Baking Soda, Organic Vanilla Extract, Natural flavors, Sea Salt, Soy Lecithin.
Contains soy and wheat ingredients.
Manufactured on shared equipment with eggs, milk, peanuts and tree nuts.
2 cookies = 5 g fat / .5 g saturated / 130 calories
Health Valley (hain celestial) (12 oz package – kosher dairy)
organic wheat flour, organic powdered evaporated cane juice with corn starch, expeller pressed soybean oil, organic evaporated cane juice, cocoa (processed with alkali), organic evaporated cane juice syrup, baking soda, salt, natural flavors, salt, unsweetened chocolate, soy lecithin.
Allergy Information:
This product is manufactured in a facility that uses peanuts and other nuts (made with no genetically engineered ingredients)
2 cookies = 5 g fat / 1 g saturated / 130 calories
KinniToos (gluten free) (tasted them during the first recording, but not during the 2nd recording. we decided to not purchase them a second time because they’re $6/package and not very good.)
icing (icing sugar (may contain 2-3% corn starch), non hydrogenated shortening (palm fruit and/or canola), vanilla, soy lecithin, salt) sugar, pea starch, potato starch, non-hydrogenated shortening (palm fruit and/or canola), white rice flour, cocoa powder, water, tapioca starch, glucose, pea protein, sodium carboxy methylcellulose, salt, pea fibre, vanilla, caramel colour, guar gum, inulin, sodium bicarbonate, soy lecithin, ammonium bicarbonate.
allergy alert: produced in a facility which uses sesame seeds, soy, eggs and tree nuts.
1 cookie = 2.5 g fat / 1 g saturated / 60 calories
2 cookies = 5 g fat / 2 g saturated / 120 calories
Generics
wild harvest organics (supervalu, acme) (16 oz package – kosher dairy)
Organic Dehydrated Cane Juice, Organic Wheat Flour, Organic Palm Oil, Organic Cocoa, Organic Invert Sugar, Sea Salt, Baking Soda, Organic Vanilla Extract, Natural Flavour, Soy Lecithin, Organic Canola and/or Organic Sunflower and/or Organic Soybean Oil.
contains wheat and soy ingredients.
allergy warning: may contain peanut, tree nuts, milk and egg.
2 cookies = 7g fat / 3 g saturated / 150 calories
wegmans o’s (and safeway’s/genuardi’s tuxedoes) (18 oz package – kosher dairy)
Sugar, Enriched Wheat Flour (Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Palm Oil, Cocoa Processed with Alkali, Sunflower Oil, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Flour, Baking Soda, Corn Starch, Salt, Soy Lecithin, Chocolate Liquor, Artificial Flavor
package says: Allergens: Contains wheat.
website says: May contain eggs, milk, peanuts and tree nuts due to manufacturing process.
3 cookies = 7 g fat / 3 g saturated / 180 calories
2 cookies = 4.6 g fat / 2 g saturated / 120 calories
Pathmark (not tested due to questionable oil)
enriched flour, (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid) sugar, vegetable shortening(contains one or more of the following: canola oil, corn oil, corn oil, palm oil, soybean oil, and/or interesterified soybean oil) dextrose, caramel color, corn syrup, contains less than 2% of each of the following: corn starch, cocoa processed with alkali, high fructose corn syrup, sodium bicarbonate, salt, monocalcium phosphate, soy lecithin, artificial flavor
contains wheat, soybeans - also manufactured on equipment that also processes peanut containing products
2 cookies = 6 g fat / 2 g saturated / 140 calories
Safeway O organics (genuardis) (not tested due to questionable oil)
Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Wheat Flour, Organic Modified Palm Oil?, Black Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Organic Invert Sugar, Organic Cocoa, Organic Vanilla Extract, Sea Salt, Baking Soda, Natural Flavor, Soy Lecithin, Organic Canola and/or Organic Sunflower and/or Organic Soybean Oil.
Produced in a facility that also produces peanut and tree nut containing products.
2 cookies = 7 g fat / 3 g saturated / 150 calories
not vegan:
Keebler Dunking Delights – whey
Hydrox – the chocolate they use has milk in it (?)
murray sugar free – (splenda and a bunch of other scary stuff) whey.
365 cookies – whey? I forget. It was something that put up a red flag. (since looking at a package on march 1st 2009, the only thing that is questionable is the natural flavors and that there’s a kosher dairy symbol on the front. i’ll get to the bottom of this. maybe they’ve been reformulated.)
notes:
http://www.trackingtraderjoes.com/2006/05/new_oreos_beat_.html
Satisfying the Cookie Monster (Without the Scary Trans Fats)
http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/490979/satisfying_the_cookie_monster_without_the_scary_trans_fats/
Posted on: Wednesday, 3 May 2007Oreo (7 points. $4.39 per 18-ounce 24 cents per ounce.) “Classic Oreo flavor with a good mix of cocoa and icing.”"Yum, where’s the milk?”"Ah just right, nice sense of personality; great chocolate flavor.”
Joe-Joe’s (5 points. $2.49 per 20-ounce package; 12 cents per ounce.) “Candylike filling.”"Good chocolate taste.”"Very artificial.”"Falls apart.”
Back to Nature (4.6 points. $3.39 per 12-ounce package; 28 cents per ounce.) “Good but a bit bland.”"Wholesome; not too sweet.”"Stale filling.”"Very sweet.”"Little chocolate taste.”
Others tasted
4. Country Choice Organic (4.4 points) 5. 365 Everyday Value (Whole Foods brand, 3.6) 6. Newman’s Own O’s (3.3)
Late July Vanilla Bean with Green Tea Cookies (according to their website)
Men’s Health Magazine has named our Vanilla Bean Sandwich Cookie the Best Cookie in the country. We of course couldn’t agree more, but we feel like it should’ve at least tied with our Dark Chocolate cookie. We like that they point out that it tastes fresher than our competitors…that’s because unlike a lot of other sandwich cremes, ours actually contains real vanilla (don’t believe us, look at their ingredients)! In fact we go the extra distance by using organic vanilla. Anyway, it’s good to be loved and recognized
Great post! these are really good information :)
[...] (a link to the ingredients/nutrition info of each cookie) [...]
This is my first time on your site. Perhaps I’m missing something, but it seems that you are listing items made on dairy equipment (Newman’s Own, Late July) as vegan. THEY ARE NOT! And it also seems that this site especially, should be holding companies to a higher standard!
There are two important points to make:
1. Dairy products cannot be completely cleaned from the equipment, so if one is allergic, a reaction (which is unpleasant) should be expected.
2. By converting vegan seeking retail dollars into dairy manufacturing profit, you are empowering and enriching the very companies who exploit animals and profit from the sale of foods you believe are not healthy!
I enjoy a good chocolate cookie as much as the next vegan. However it seams a big helping of real world veganomics is in order here.
the majority of vegans don’t worry about cross-contamination with equipment.
most companies that need to share equipment with other companies are the ones that need our help the most!
if we reject an otherwise vegan cookie made by a company that just so happens to need to share equipment, they’ll go out of business or they’d assume that there isn’t any demand for that particular product, and then they’d focus their efforts elsewhere.
veganism isn’t an allergy. as long as the food is intended to be vegan, that’s great! a miniscule amount of contamination isn’t going to make our throats swell up and kill us.
by the way, where do you cook? we’re philly-based.
(and i don’t know if you went to listen to/read our reviews, but late july was the most hated item. check it out. it’s really interesting. newman’s own wasn’t even very high on the list.)
I realize that most vegans don’t worry about cross contamination, that is precisely the point. Vegan items are not supposed to contain animal products, items produced on dairy manufacturing equipment contain dairy products and therefore, by definition are NOT VEGAN. Is it acceptable to cook veggie burgers on the same griddle as beef burgers? If a piece of dairy cheese was accidentally served on one of those veggie burgers, is that acceptable? After all the cook INTENDED it to be vegan. By your logic it would seem to be ok.
I appreciate your point about wanting to support vegan food producers, I do as well. But there is for example, a difference
between a food product that is KOSHER and a seemingly identical product that is KOSHER STYLE. My point is to call a spade a spade. Items should be properly labeled (as some companies already do) and organizations such as yours, that people look to for information, recommendations and guidance should be the leaders in requiring accurate labeling for people who want to make informed decisions.
I must say that I find the rest of your comment condescending, shallow and self serving. I hardly need a lecture in what veganism is or is not and there are many people who become very ill when they ingest unexpected dairy products even in trace amounts. As a leader in the vegan community I would expect that your mission would be to include, and encourage the welfare of, all vegans. I’m disappointed to find that it apparently does not. My comment was directed at the issue of accurate labeling. It is not my place, regardless of my personal beliefs, to tell other people what to eat (unless of course, they ask me).
i was just explaining my point. apologies if you read it as being condescending. i read yours the same way.
you, by saying items produced on shared equipment are not vegan are doing the same thing. like i said, most vegans really don’t share the same belief.
i indicate in the list whether the package states if it’s used on shared equipment and i am allowing the reader to make decisions for themselves. (as you said. i think this might be a situation where you may not have read the entire text, and are berating me for not doing something that i did in fact do.)
answering your first question, i generally don’t go to non-vegetarian restaurants. this is that “as far as possible and practical” part of the vegan edict. if i do (if i must bend to accomodate family) then i don’t order anything off of the griddle.
i’d hope manufacturers wash their equipment between items. (especially a different company using the items after an unknown user with an unclear cleaning thoroughness) this is the equivalent of a vegetarian restaurant moving into a space where there used to be a meaty establishment, and in that case, yes, i would indeed order something off of the griddle. (and yes, i am squeamish about ordering something off of the griddle at govindas, but if i visit the new blackbird restaurant that used to be in the location of gianna’s, then heck yes! no hesitation whatsoever. i trust them to have scrubbed that shiitake clean.)
and last but not least, we’re not an organization in the official use of the word. we’re just a group of friends having fun tasting things. we try to be thorough, so we attempt to compare as many different brands of the same item, and we are accommodating to the larger population of vegans that aren’t as strict as you. for the strict persons, they can look at the ingredient list and make their own decisions. i see no problem with that method. i’m not saying “you MUST eat this brand, or i will forever lock you in the dungeon” no, we just review and let readers make the ultimate decision.
in the future we may be able to solely support companies that only produce items on vegan-certified equipment, but it really is not practical while over 90% of the population considers non-food to be food. it may be practical once 25% of the population are vegan, but as it stands, it is not practical, and therefore should not be held to such high standards.
it’s great as a vegan chef that you hold such high standards! since you are making decisions for people who come into your establishment. (mi-lah for example does not share your views) i would trust your establishment far more than any other knowing that you are as strict as they come.
apologies that we came off on the wrong foot, but i am not going to change my viewpoints, nor how i run this blog/podcast. i will not make strictness decisions for the readers since they will be the ones making the ultimate decision to purchase. (but maybe i will include in the recordings themselves which ones state shared equipment for those who care about that.)
hi!,I like your writing very so much! percentage we be in
contact extra about your post on AOL? I need a specialist on this
space to solve my problem. May be that’s you! Taking a look forward to look you.