January 2004

Vegetarians Celebrate a Crisp Start to the New Year
thanks to Walkers ‘Best Ever’ Resolution…

The Vegetarian Society is delighted to announce that Walkers Crisps, winners of the ‘(Im)perfect World’ category at the 2003 Vegetarian Society Awards, have granted our wish. When they re-launch the nation’s favourite crisps next month - Walkers Cheese & Onion – they will be suitable for vegetarians!

Members of the public and visitors to The Vegetarian Society website nominated Walkers Cheese & Onion Crisps as the product they would most like to consume if it were suitable for vegetarians. In response to winning the (Im)perfect World award, Victoria Roberts, brand manager for Cheese and Onion said, "We were aware that people have been disappointed that such a popular product as Walkers Cheese & Onion has not been suitable for vegetarians and are delighted to have been able to develop a cheese and onion flavouring that is animal-rennet free and satisfies the high taste standards that our consumers have come to expect from our products"

On hearing the news, Tina Fox, chief executive of The Vegetarian Society said, “We congratulate Walkers on the fantastic decision to use cheese free from animal-rennet in their new improved ‘Best Ever’ Cheese & Onion Crisp recipe. It’s certainly the ‘Best Ever’ way to bite into 2004!”

Notes for editors

• For more information about The Vegetarian Society / The Vegetarian Society awards please contact Kerry Bennett, Press Officer T. 0161 925 2012,E. kerry@vegsoc.org or visit www.vegsoc.org
  
• For more information about Walkers ‘Best Ever’ Crisps please visit www.walkers.co.uk

• To make cheese, milk is coagulated by the addition of rennet. The usual source of rennet is the stomach of slaughtered newly-born calves. Vegetarian cheeses are made with rennets of non-animal origin – from healthy bacteria or fungi, as well as certain plants.
  
• The runners up in the 2003 Vegetarian Society Awards (Im)perfect World category were:
  Muller Light Yoghurts
  Bassett’s Jelly Babies
  Haribo Sweets
  Marshmallows
  
• The 2003 Vegetarian Society Awards were sponsored by vertese™ your gelatin-free choice for vitamin and mineral supplements. For more information please contact:
  Melissa Neal at Bloomsbury Communications
  T: 020 7833 3759, F: 020 7278 7613, E: melissa@bloomsburycommunications.com

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