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Land O Lakes Margarine has been a staple of American households for generations. It is one of the most recognizable brands in the food industry and has become a symbol of quality and excellence due to its creamy texture and delicious taste. But, is Land O Lakes Margarine vegan?
Land O Lakes Margarine is not vegan because it contains milk.
Below is a table showing Land O Lakes Margarine flavors and its vegan status.
| Flavor | Vegan Status |
| Margarine – Sticks | No, contains Milk. |
| Margarine – Tub | No, contains Milk. |
Land O Lakes Margarine Ingredients
Below is a list of ingredients from all the flavors that I could find.
- Beta-Carotene
- Buttermilk
- Lactic Acid
- Mono And Diglycerides
- Natural And Artificial Flavor
- Palm Oil
- Potassium Sorbate (To Preserve Freshness)
- Salt
- Soy Lecithin
- Soybean Oil
- Vitamin A Palmitate
- Water
[Source]
As always I’ve highlighted the ingredients that we need to take a closer look at.
Non-Vegan Ingredients
Milk
Milk can sometimes be a tricky ingredient to find on the ingredients label because it can come in different forms such as whey, natural flavors, buttermilk and so on. In this case it’s buttermilk and since milk comes from cow’s it’s not a vegan-friendly ingredient.
Questionable Ingredients
Natural Flavor
The next ingredient in our questionable ingredients list is natural flavors and this one is a common ingredient in products. This one is an umbrella term and it often consists of several ingredients, which causes a problem for vegans because the source of these ingredients are never disclosed.
It’s a way for companies to keep parts of their recipes a secret, which is understandable, however it does cause a problem for vegans because there is no way of knowing if natural flavors does contain animal-derived ingredients.
Palm Oil
Palm oil is one of those ingredients that are a big controversy, not only among vegans but people in the entire world. The reason for this is the huge deforestation taking place to make room for palm oil plantations.
This is devastating to the environment and wildlife, forcing animals such as orangutans away from their natural habitat. However there is away to produce sustainable palm oil with minimal impact on the environment and it’s called RSPO.
It’s a non-profit organization that helps companies produce and buy sustainable palm oil. This would also make the palm oil more vegan-friendly.
Soy
Soy is one of the most common GMO crops in the US and some vegans have a problem with this because of the high amount of herbicide needed. It can pollute the surrounding ecosystem and cause severe damage to the environment.
Mono And Diglycerides
This ingredient can be sourced from both animals and plants.
Conclusion
Even tho margarine has a vegetable oil as a base, a lot of companies choose to add milk to their margarine flavors as well and this is a problem for vegans. This is the case for Land O Lakes margarine, making it not suitable for vegans.
Thanks for reading, take care!
