Holy Cow!

Holy cow! was my reaction when I read Treehugger's article on some everyday things that contain animal products. For instance:

1. Downy fabric softener contains Dihydrogenated tallow dimethyl ammonium chloride, which comes from the cattle, sheep and horse industry.



2. Many plastics, including shopping bags, contain 'slip agents', which reduce the friction in the material. What are those made of? Animal fat.



3. Sugar: purified ash from animal bones is used in filters to refine sugar by some brands, though there are other companies that use filters with granular carbon or ion exchange systems. What not all may know is that brown sugar is also refined, only to have molasses added after.You can opt for unrefined organic sugar or choose the brands that PETA says are vegan.



4. Some toothpastes: Glycerin is found in animal and vegetable fats, which have a chemical composition containing from 7% to 13% glycerine. When separated from it, it's used in a wide variety of products, including toothpaste.

We expect that the soon-to-be-formed animal issues committee will help us research which coop products are truly animal free, for those who want to know.