Rennet: Cheese's Dark, Little Secret

Most of us know that cheese is basically milk that's been aged and cultured into solid form. What many of us don't know are the forms in which we obtain starter culture. Commonly and traditionally, cheese is made using animal rennet. Animal rennet is comprised of the stomach lining of a veal calf. So, not only are you eating stomach lining if you eat animal rennet, you are also supporting the veal industry. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/rennet There are, however, two types of vegetarian-friendly rennet: 1) Vegetable rennet: made of seeds from fruits like cantaloupe, etc. 2) Microbial rennet: made of fungus. Both are perfectly vegetarian, and safe to eat. If you're not sure -- i.e. the label says "enzymes" or "cultures"-- then it's probably a safe bet to not assume, and simply pass on that product. If you're on the road -- as I often am -- almost any fast food or major-market restaurant chain will have a toll-free number to which you can pose the question, "What's in your cheese?" Taco Bell, for instance -- woot -- does not use animal rennet. I'm sure they do it for cost effectiveness, as I can't see there being too high a concern for anything other than the bottom line at PepsiCo, but still...