I am looking for cheese that is available in Canadian grocery markets and suitable for vegetarians.

They use Rennet to make most of the Mozzarella and Cheddar cheese. Rennet is made from the stomach linings of animals and is used to add microbial enzymes in cheese making process.

Sometime ago, there were some cheese in the market on which they clearly labelled as “Rennet Free”.Some companies have now become smarter and they don’t use the term “Rennet” on their ingredients, instead they now label it as “Microbial Enzymes”.

I am not a biotechnologist or scientist but as far as I know, there are two sources to produce Microbial Enzymes, first from animal and second from vegetables. Unless they specifically mention in the ingredients that it is “Vegetable Enzymes” we don’t know the source of enzymes (animal or vegetables). Please correct me if I am going wrong here.

Please share your findings. Most cheddar/mozzarella/feta cheese in the market have "Microbial Enzymes" listed in the ingredients. Some organic cheese may also be suitable for vegetarians, please let me know the brands/store names if you know any.

Similarly, we think that whey is milk based ingredient, and its vegetarian but answer is no. Whey is a by-product of manufacture of cheese. Whey is a portion of milk remaining after coagulation and removal of curd. There are two kinds of whey, one is sweet or rennet whey and the other is acid whey. Acid whey is obtained during the making of acid type of cheese such as cottage cheese. Sweet or rennet whey is used more in food products then acid whey. Sweet whey or rennet whey is a by-product of rennet cheese making such as cheddar cheese or Mozzarella cheese. Vegetarians should also think about the source of whey when they see in labelled in the ingredients.

Many of you already knew about this but it may be shocking for some of you. I do not deemed to be a strictly vegetarian person by posting this question. And yeah, please try not to distract the discussion by talking about religious beliefs. Thank you for reading.

Hi,
To be safe and sure, you may buy Amul brand cheese from Indian grocery stores.

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mor

Whenever you experience joy, peace, security, equanimity or purity, it is only because you are aligned with ALMIGHTY.

Amul cheese is also hard to find these days at Indian grocery stores....
Please let me know which store can you find it from...

We buy Amul cheese from OM India foods in Brampton...They come in small square form, easy to use.

Hi Jigz,
After landing in Canada, I have compromised in using local cheese, and hence not buying Amul, however you have now inspired me to switch back to Amul,
Long back when I was buying it , it was from Patel Grocery in Scarborough.

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mor

Whenever you experience joy, peace, security, equanimity or purity, it is only because you are aligned with ALMIGHTY.

For those who are interested.
I Found this vegetarian cheese at a local Freshco... I heard the same cheese also available at Costco.
http://i.imgur.com/vhC8zHc.jpg" border="0" alt="http://i.imgur.com/vhC8zHc.jpg" />

Thankyou for sharing the information

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mor

Whenever you experience joy, peace, security, equanimity or purity, it is only because you are aligned with ALMIGHTY.