Stork is a brand of margarine spread that is owned by Upfield, except in South Africa, where it is owned by the Remgro subsidiary Siqalo Foods.
It is widely used for baking in the UK, though it faced some initial resistance because housewives at the time were skeptical of margarine’s health effects and cooking ability. It wasn’t untilthe onset ofWorld War II and the consequential rationing of butter that its popularity began to rise.
In this article, we look at the ingredients in Stork’s margarine to determine whether it’s vegan.
Is Stork Vegan?
Stork is a brand that strictly sells margarine that comes in two different forms: as a baking block (250g), and in a tub (250g, 500g, and 1kg).
Regardless of whether it’s a block or a tub, Stork’s margarine is suitable for vegans as it doesn’t contain any animal ingredients.
According to their official website, the ingredients for both the blocks and tubs are the same:
- Vegetable oils (rapeseed, palm, sunflower in varying proportions)
- Water
- Salt
- Emulsifier (sunflower lecithin, mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids)
- Citric acid
- Flavorings
- Colors (carotenes)
- Vitamins (A, D).
With that being said, it still contains a few controversial ingredients, namely mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, and vitamin D, which may or not be derived from animal sources.
What are mono- and diglycerides?
Monoglycerides and diglycerides are emulsifiers, which means they help oil and water to blend, and for that reason, they’re commonly used as a food additive.
They’re naturally present in various seed oils, but their concentration is usually very low so their industrial production involves creating a glycerolysis reaction betweentriglycerides(fats/oils) andglycerol. The materials used to produce this reaction can be either vegetable or animal fats and oils.
Mono- and diglycerides are mostly produced from vegetable oils (soybean), but animal fats can also be used sometimes, hence why The Vegan Society flags this ingredient as potentially animal-based.
With that being said, when you check retailers/supermarkets that sell Stork, they label the product as being suitable for vegans, so it’s unlikely that it contains any animal derivatives.
What is vitamin D?
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in a few foods, namely meat, fish, and dairy.
There are vegan sources of vitamin D, namely mushrooms which are an excellent source of vitamin D2, and lichen, which is a rarer, yet plant-based source of vitamin D3. Vitamin D2 is always vegan, but vitamin D3 is usually animal-based.
Stork doesn’t state whether it’s using vitamin D2 or vitamin D3, but since retailers/stores state that the product is vegan-friendly, then it’s likely that Stork contains vitamin D2.
Conclusion
All indicators suggest that Stork’s margarine is entirely vegan-friendly, as it doesn’t contain any dairy ingredients and supermarkets/retailers (that sell it) label it as “suitable for vegans”.
There are some controversial ingredients (like mono- and diglycerides and vitamin D), but there’s no reason to believe they’re not vegan.
Therefore, I would consume Stork’s margarine with no reservations as everything suggests it’s vegan.
