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M&S announces plans to make its entire own-label wine range suitable for vegans by the end of 2022.
M&S is celebrating World Vegan Day (November 1) with the announcement that its entire own-brand wine range will be vegan by 2022.
The retailer’s wine range is already 70% vegan and it first began labelling wines as ‘suitable for vegetarians’ back in 1998 and as ‘suitable for vegans’ in 2005, with all vegan-friendly bottles clearly labelled to make selecting vegan options simpler.
Many people are surprised to learn that animal-products such as gelatine, milk protein and eggs whites are used in the filtration process when making wines, and M&S is planning to substitute these for plant-based alternatives such as pea protein.
The company will also be modifying vine management and using alternative winemaking techniques to ensure that the wines are 100% suitable for vegans.
Discussing the retailer’s dedication to reach this goal in a statement sent to Vegan Food & Living, M&S Winemaker Sue Daniels, said: “We’ve made this commitment as part of our overall aim to make M&S products more relevant to more customers and to take action to reflect their changing dietary demands.
“Obviously, such a large-scale commitment isn’t without its challenges – however we have been working on alternatives with winemakers for several years and have already seen radical changes in more traditional areas such as France and Spain. We will be supporting the rest of our partner wineries every step of the way towards this goal.”