Why Do Some Cheese Alternatives Contain Milk Protein?

Let me guess. You picked up a package of cheese alternative that looks dairy-free, but you flipped it over and discovered that one of the first ingredients is casein or whey (milk proteins)! It happens to all of us, and is so frustrating. I’ll explain why, and what types of products and labels to look out for with cheese alternatives.

Can “Dairy-Free” Cheese Contain Casein or Whey?

The world of dairy-free can be tricky since there are so many different reasons people limit or cut out milk, and labelling regulations have never been very well defined for non-dairy products. But the FDA does have a “truth” clause, which means that manufacturers must have accurate claims on their products. In other words, no cheese alternative should be labelled dairy free if it contains any form of dairy. This includes casein and whey, which are milk proteins. Nevertheless, there have been some brands that look dairy-free, but contain dairy. Let’s jump into the different types, starting with the almond cheese pictured above.

Non-Vegan Cheese that Looks Dairy-Free

In the past, we contended with confusing brands like Go Veggie, who had both vegan and non-vegan lines. Today, the biggest problem is Lisanatti Foods. they produce an Almond Cheese that’s made with casein (milk protein). In the past, they also made mozzarella for Trader Joe’s, but  that was discontinued. This cheese brand has an almond base, but it also contains milk protein to give it that traditional cheese taste and texture. It is definitely not dairy free!

Why Would a Company Make Almond Cheese that Contains Milk?

Because their product isn’t for dairy-free consumers, it’s for a few other target groups. One is the lactose-free community. Their product is made without lactose, so people with lactose intolerance can enjoy it. Another is for people who like the taste of the almond base. And a third is for health seekers. The almond base is often perceived as healther, since it’s also free of saturated fat. And companies like Lisanatti even market their products as a “good health cheese alternative.”

Vegan Cheeses that Contain Dairy

Several years ago, a big scientific push emerged that involved genetically engineering a non-animal organism (like yeast or plants) to produce dairy proteins. They use the genome of a dairy cow, which has been fully mapped, and is readily available. Consequently, no animals are used to produce this lab created dairy. And companies that use these proteins to create their products can then use a “vegan” or “animal-free” label. But the proteins are molecularly identical to dairy proteins, which means they are not dairy-free, and could still be a problem for people with milk allergies or who have health issues or concerns with milk proteins. See my Animal-Free Dairy article for more information and a list of brands.

Lactose-Free Cheese vs Dairy-Free Cheese Alternatives

Hard cheeses are naturally low lactose, and making them lactose-free isn’t a stretch for many cheese producers. They also remove the lactose from some softer cheeses to make them suitable for people with lactose intolerance. These cheeses might have a “lactose-free” label, but that must not be confused with dairy-free. When you see only a lactose-free label, make sure to triple check the ingredients for dairy. I have seen dairy-free alternatives that are only labelled as lactose-free, but in many cases, lactose-free cheeses are just dairy cheeses with the lactose (milk sugar) removed.

Non-Dairy vs Dairy-Free

It’s such a confusing topic that we have a whole post dedicated to Non-Dairy vs Dairy-Free. But to quickly summarize it, non-dairy is a term that has been used on food labels of dairy-free products and of products that contain dairy. Basically, non-dairy means that it isn’t a complete nutritive dairy product (like dairy milk), but not that it doesn’t contain dairy of any kind. That said, most products with a non-dairy label are made without any dairy. It’s just an irritating handful that do in fact contain milk protein. As always, read the ingredients!

Also Read this Comprehensive Post: What is Dairy Free?