Crumbs! Recipe change takes the biscuit for vegans

Already suffering withdrawal symptoms from a national shortage of the county’s favourite biscuits, fans of Jammie Dodgers are now in uproar after manufacturers Burton changed the recipe.

Earlier this week, emergency supplies of custard creams and bourbons were flown into Robin Hood Airport, Doncaster, to meet demand from desperate dunkers after weeks of empty shelves at supermarkets caused by flooding at the United Biscuits factory in Carlisle.

But while the new supplies have brought much-needed relief for many, a move to makes Jammie Dodgers crunchier and more jammy has met with horror from vegans, who will no longer be able to enjoy the snack due to the inclusion of milk protein in the new ingredients list.

Vegan Society spokesman Jimmy Pierce said: “Are they not aware of the growing numbers of vegans, dairy reducers and the lactose intolerant? Jammie Dodgers are one of many ‘accidentally vegan’ products, much loved by the vegan community.”

Anger at the recipe tweak has prompted an online petition which almost 6,000 people have signed to date.

Ali Ryland, who started the petition, said: “Veganism is becoming ever more popular yet lots of previously loved ‘accidentally vegan’ items are under attack.

“The new addition of milk protein to these biscuits is bad news for vegans, those with lactose intolerance and dairy reducers everywhere, particularly those who live in rural areas and are unable to look further afield for their biscuit fix.”

She urges people to tweet about the issue, using the hashtag #SaveJammieDodgers.

A Burton’s Biscuit Company spokesperson said: “We have recently carried out a reformulation of our Jammie Dodgers recipe, based on consumer feedback as how best to improve the flavour and texture of the product.

“For the new reformulated recipe of Jammie Dodgers, we have communicated that there is now an additional allergen of milk within the product. This is due to the addition of whey in the recipe, which gives a more rounded flavour to the biscuit.

“The reformulation has resulted in the addition of milk proteins, in line with our mini Jammie Dodgers product, and is consequently now listed as an allergen in the ingredients.

“On the original formulation of Jammie Dodgers, though the recipe didn’t highlight milk as an allergen, the pack did contain a statement saying ‘May contain Milk and Soya’ as it was produced on a line where other products used ingredients containing milk and was therefore not suitable for Vegans.

“We take allergen control very seriously and aim to ensure we give the correct information to customers in order to help them make the right choices.”