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Cross contamination. You don't want your veggie burger to be prepared/fried/grilled/microwaved/burnt on the same surfaces with the same fats that are being used

Cross contamination. You don't want your veggie burger to be prepared/fried/grilled/microwaved/burnt on the same surfaces with the same fats that are being used for the dead animal products. Some of this is to do with pathogens, some of it is due to taste. There are many vegetarian products designed to taste like meat, e.g. fake bacon, but plenty of vegetarians do not actually like the taste of meat even if that is acquired second hand by using the same grill or utensils. even using the same knife to cut a meat sandwich and then a vegetarian sandwich with no washing in between is a cause of concern as far as contamination with 'animal germs' is concerned. Quality establishments get these details right. They also tend to do better when the food inspectors come round.

chrisseaton 8y ago
> some of it is due to taste Isn't the burger designed to taste like meat?
munk-a 8y ago
This is too extremely silly for me. I can understand the taste angle (my wife isn't a fan of red meat, she can tolerate it but doesn't enjoy it), I can understand the religious angle (people are silly) and I can understand the ethical angle... Lastly, I have heard of people who have gone full vegan and react poorly to a soup that surprised them by being a beef broth base which causes indigestion. But! Using the same knife to cut a meat sandwich and then a vegetarian sandwich, that sounds like some "wifi allergy" level BS to me. If that's actually a thing I'd like to see a well designed double blind study that could back it up - depending on the knife thickness there's a decent chance that the knife has been implicitly wiped down through the action of cutting before it gets anywhere near the vegetarian sandwich - I'd find it more concerning if the same cutting board was reused as that would give a decent chance that some left-over meat is pressed into the bottom of the sandwich, though in that case a quick dry wipe down would suffice.
- Theodores 8y ago
  It is actually basic food hygiene and nothing to do with your wifi. In the UK we have the Food Hygiene Act 1995. In it you are supposed to have different colour knives and chopping boards specifically for this matter of cross contamination. Sounds to me like someone wouldn't pass their Basic Food Hygiene Certificate 1 here. And no, a basic dry wipe down does not suffice. Catering is about being inclusive as well as hygiene. Lousy hygiene - that goes against the law - should not cost a business customers just because staff don't respect the rights that vegetarians have to not have their food tainted by meat.

chrisseaton 8y ago

> some of it is due to taste Isn't the burger designed to taste like meat?

munk-a 8y ago

This is too extremely silly for me. I can understand the taste angle (my wife isn't a fan of red meat, she can tolerate it but doesn't enjoy it), I can understand the religious angle (people are silly) and I can understand the ethical angle... Lastly, I have heard of people who have gone full vegan and react poorly to a soup that surprised them by being a beef broth base which causes indigestion. But! Using the same knife to cut a meat sandwich and then a vegetarian sandwich, that sounds like some "wifi allergy" level BS to me. If that's actually a thing I'd like to see a well designed double blind study that could back it up - depending on the knife thickness there's a decent chance that the knife has been implicitly wiped down through the action of cutting before it gets anywhere near the vegetarian sandwich - I'd find it more concerning if the same cutting board was reused as that would give a decent chance that some left-over meat is pressed into the bottom of the sandwich, though in that case a quick dry wipe down would suffice.

Theodores 8y ago
It is actually basic food hygiene and nothing to do with your wifi. In the UK we have the Food Hygiene Act 1995. In it you are supposed to have different colour knives and chopping boards specifically for this matter of cross contamination. Sounds to me like someone wouldn't pass their Basic Food Hygiene Certificate 1 here. And no, a basic dry wipe down does not suffice. Catering is about being inclusive as well as hygiene. Lousy hygiene - that goes against the law - should not cost a business customers just because staff don't respect the rights that vegetarians have to not have their food tainted by meat.