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A comment on Belgian biscuits, packaging, and copywriting.

Re:Belgian biscuits, packaging, and copywriting by xvx on Thursday March 26, 2020 @02:15PM (#22696270)
Similar to how some companies avoid putting the word ‘vegan’ on clearly vegan products. Even these new meat alternatives. There was a story a few years back about how half of the Girl Scout cookies are vegan but the soccer mom sellers didn’t want the logo on the product in case it reduced sales. Initially some said vegan on the box and those were crossed out to hide it!
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Re:Belgian biscuits, packaging, and copywriting by vzidex on Thursday March 26, 2020 @04:49PM (#22697840)
There's actually a term for those "normal" foods that are vegan but not labelled as such - you'll often see them called "accidentally vegan" foods in the vegan community.

Oreos are a famous (and my favourite) example :)

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Re:Belgian biscuits, packaging, and copywriting by function_seven on Thursday March 26, 2020 @02:18PM (#22696300)
The Euphemism Treadmill dictates that "vegan" is now "plant-based diet."

Among those that herbivores would like to convert, "vegan" is saddled with negative perceptions.

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Re:Belgian biscuits, packaging, and copywriting by xvx on Thursday March 26, 2020 @02:26PM (#22696378)
Strangely enough, plant-based doesn't necessarily mean vegan. Some 'plant-based' diets include eggs and dairy at times. I've yet to find a plant-based food item that wasn't vegan though, so perhaps the diet aspect needs further refining.
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Re:Belgian biscuits, packaging, and copywriting by vzidex on Thursday March 26, 2020 @04:48PM (#22697822)
This makes sense to me, doesn't "based" or "base" mean that the food is _mostly_ made from plants.

As someone who's trying to follow a vegan diet I am very happy about "plant-based" food generally being vegan though!

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Re:Belgian biscuits, packaging, and copywriting by blendergeek on Thursday March 26, 2020 @02:30PM (#22696419)
There is actually a difference between 'vegan' and 'plant-based diet'. A car can be 'vegan'. A car is not part of a 'plant-based' diet.
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Re:Belgian biscuits, packaging, and copywriting by function_seven on Thursday March 26, 2020 @02:40PM (#22696509)
Understood, but that difference doesn't apply when we're talking about food specifically. I'm saying that the "vegan" label is marketing liability if you're trying to sell to the general public (and not just to the existing vegan community).

If we're talking about shoes, or cars, then the euphemism will be something like "cruelty-free". No car company is going to associate their cloth interiors with veganism. Well, maybe Subaru would :)

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Re:Belgian biscuits, packaging, and copywriting by paulcole on Thursday March 26, 2020 @02:51PM (#22696612)
Don't forget about the subset of vegans who avoid palm oil/almonds and other particularly environmentally taxing plant-based products.
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Re:Belgian biscuits, packaging, and copywriting by nicky0 on Thursday March 26, 2020 @02:59PM (#22696697)
That's why the common parlance is 'plant-based upholstery' for these situations.
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Re:Belgian biscuits, packaging, and copywriting by aniham on Thursday March 26, 2020 @03:10PM (#22696810)
Oddly enough the gluten free ones are proudly labeled gluten free.
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Re:Belgian biscuits, packaging, and copywriting by chihuahua on Thursday March 26, 2020 @04:01PM (#22697341)
Kirkland shampoo is labeled "gluten free"! Just in case people are going to drink it; it won't interfere with their gluten free diet.
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Re:Belgian biscuits, packaging, and copywriting by l_davis on Friday March 27, 2020 @04:48AM (#22701281)
People often mock gluten free labeling for products that should either be obviously gluten free or are not food. But the range of gluten sensitivity does vary, and there are people who react to gluten in cosmetics (where it can be added). There are also cases where gluten is added to food where it would not be expected.

If you are gluten free because you can't tolerate gluten, that labeling is very helpful.

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Re:Belgian biscuits, packaging, and copywriting by vzidex on Thursday March 26, 2020 @04:45PM (#22697802)
I get the feeling that's because gluten-free food is - for some people - medically necessary, while people with, say, allergies to some animal product e.g. eggs will usually just buy normal food and be careful not to buy anything containing egg. As a result, "vegan" food has a negative perception that "gluten free" escapes.
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Re:Belgian biscuits, packaging, and copywriting by l_davis on Friday March 27, 2020 @04:55AM (#22701299)
Gluten free does not escape a negative reputation. There are many people who follow a gluten free diet because it's somewhat of a fad, and there are many others who, as a result, don't take it seriously.

As someone who is gluten free because I can't tolerate gluten, I would add that, for those who don't have that issue, gluten free food is not always the healthiest choice. In particular, gluten free baking is tricky, and gluten free baked goods are generally much higher in sugar.

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