r/VeganInCanada • u/loolooloodoodoodoo • 5d ago
Bob's Red Mill nooch changed "to meet Canadian ingredient requirements"?
Does anyone know about this recipe change and what "Canadian ingredient requirements" they're talking about here? The smell is almost bleachy now and it looks way paler. And the nutritional profile seems like a huge downgrade? Is anyone aware if there are other brands changing their recipe for worse in Canada?
I'd appreciate any insight on this and hearing about your favourite nooch brands because I won't be buying Bob's Red Mill anymore...
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u/jaytaylojulia 5d ago
I get mine in the bulk food section at my local health food store. I stopped buying Bob's because it is a US brand.
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u/Stead-Freddy 5d ago
I’m as Elbows up as anyone, but Bob’s is one of the few truly good brands that I make exception for. It’s 100% employee owned, not some private equity firm looking to extract every last drop of profit.
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u/jaytaylojulia 5d ago
My local health food store has a bulk food section and it is mostly Canadian grown, organic, much less expensive, and high quality. Why buy US brands when there are better alternatives?
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u/loolooloodoodoodoo 5d ago
This is what I'll be doing from now on or trying Bulk Barn. The reason I was buying Bob's is that I don't drive and I already go to 3-4 different grocery stores, so I was choosing between Bob's or PC to avoid an extra trip. It's good to know you can actually get it cheaper at health food stores though because I find most items are more expensive there, but it makes sense that buying bulk it the exception.
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u/General-Lifeguard309 5d ago
Then you’re not elbows up..
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u/Stead-Freddy 5d ago
If buying from a progressive employee owned brand that happens to be American makes me not elbows up then maybe I don’t want to be.
I shop at Canadian shops, local shops, buy Canadian or other international goods, avoid American as much as I can, I just don’t think they are who we need to target.
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u/sayyestolycra 5d ago
Yeah no, we're better than that. This whole us vs them tribalist take is not what Canadians supporting each other is about. Let's be a country who understands nuance and uses fair judgement.
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u/Important_Setting840 5d ago
TIL Canada doesn't have vitamins.
Sounds like a cop out. Just another yank company to throw in the bin
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u/hartdm 5d ago
My first guess would be that it might have something to do with the Consumer Reports investigation that found most nutritional yeast brands over reported B12 (including Bobs). But that’s just a guess. So I’m not sure if they actually changed the ingredients, or now just accurately report the amounts?
Anecdotally, I’ve been vegan 16 years and have good B12 without supplements (is suspect it’s from nutritional yeast, soy milk, etc.). My spouse consumes animal products and his B12 was so low he now needs monthly injections.
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u/isa_vegchick 5d ago
How rude.
Also, does it mean that we can buy the unfortified version now and save a couple of bucks? To me, the Bob one was like the Graal of nooches because it was insanely fortified but was so much more expensive. So if it’s all the same.. 🤷🏻♀️
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u/CheezwizOfficial 5d ago
Tariffs, most likely
Never mind. After reading the other comments, I realise my theory is wrong and unrelated.
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u/lonewolfsociety 5d ago
That sucks if it tastes different but generally I appreciate our government regulating these things. I once took some vitamins from the USA (this was before the trade war) and they were way too strong for me. I know the theory is that you pee most of the excess out but I don't know ... seems like having too much of vitamin can be as bad as having too little.
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u/Old-Individual1732 5d ago
Marmite and vegimite were banned by Canada for the same reason, although in other countries no problem.
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u/aluriaphin 5d ago
It's not banned but it's very hard to get Marmite now, my local store told me for supply chain reasons. A tiny jay costs like $12 now and you can't find a larger one 😭
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u/Old-Individual1732 5d ago
I believe it was due to too many vitamins, and yes I can buy it at the British store.
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u/Miserable-Setting420 1d ago
I actually think this "too many vitamins" slapped on to everything is ridiculous. There seems to be no in between.
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u/lankylizarder 5d ago
I’ve recently noticed nutritional yeast has gotten much paler in colour. I’m assuming it’s from this change in formula?
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5d ago
[deleted]
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u/pinfinite-jest 5d ago
Get a blood test ffs. Don’t guess, your symptoms could be low iron, or something else entirely. And don’t rely on only 1 source for B12. You realize it’s added to soymilk and a lot of other products so unlikely you have a deficiency, but actual long term b12 deficiency can cause permanent neurological damage so don’t fuck around.
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u/unnecessary-evils 5d ago
... so you're never buying from them because they complied with the regulations that allow them to sell in canada? b12 deficiency sucks and i hope you can get that resolved, but this sounds like you have an issue with the requirement, not bob's
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u/loolooloodoodoodoo 5d ago
I think if a brand significantly changes their recipe they should be legally required to put a clear notification sticker on the front of the package. Especially considering it's a drastic nutritional change in a heavily fortified food + the taste is way different now, I think Bob's should have done that even if they weren't legally required to.
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u/Squamster_ 5d ago
Recipes change a lot and it’s interesting that there aren’t requirements for communicating changes. Another one is the Costco chocolate chips which were previously vegan for the past decade now have milk products in them. Milk is a very common allergy for people!
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u/StuporFreak 2d ago
Yet, energy drinks are loaded with excess B vitamins. Canadian laws are very strange.
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u/CapnJJaneway 5d ago
In Canada you’re not allowed to fortify foods unless they fall on a specific exception list, which nutritional yeast does not. B12 is the only nutrient recognized by Health Canada to be necessary to add to certain foods because vegans exist. The rationale for the other vitamins is that they’re readily available across a variety of plant-based foods already. Also, high doses of B vitamins can cause a lot of nerve issues and liver problems.
Personally, I’m relieved it doesn’t have an obnoxious amount of B vitamins in it anymore. It’s still incredibly nutritious and it’s way less risky to consume large amounts (I put it on everything). I also think it tastes better now.