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There has been countless times when I've reached for some cheese on the shelf and then finally noticed the words "cheese product" on the packaging and realize that I didn't actually grab what I intended to... so I put it back and look for one with the correct labeling.

So perhaps deceptive marketing/packaging is how it's gaining in sales?

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I strongly doubt that. If the product was inferior, you'd maybe see one purchase from someone accidentally buying it, but it wouldn't be sustained.

People want this stuff. We've transitioned our house to vegan milks because, quite frankly, we like them better and they don't have the same awful externalities that milk production has.

We still use some butter and cheese, and some vegan butter/cheese. There are definitely recipes where it doesn't matter which cheese/butter you use, and some where it does.

"Cheese product" doesn’t necessary mean vegan. It could be that it contains cow milk, just not to an extent required to legally be sold as "cheese" according to the given country’s legislation.

In fact, in the US at least, "Cheese product" nessesarily means it isn't vegan.

Vegan cheese products also tend to be pretty upfront about not actually being cheese too, because they're marketing to people who don't want cheese.

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