Is gorgonzolaaop vegan?

The label term "gorgonzolaaop" is a concatenated form of Gorgonzola AOP, referring to Gorgonzola cheese certified under Appellation d'Origine Protégée, which is the French term for Protected Designation of Origin. Gorgonzola is a traditional Italian veined blue cheese made from whole cow's milk and inoculated with the mold Penicillium roqueforti.

To manufacture this cheese, cow's milk is curdled using animal rennet, separated into curds, and aged over several months to produce its characteristic blue marbling and sharp flavor. It is commonly listed as an ingredient in prepared savory foods, including filled pastas, frozen pizzas, cream-based pasta sauces, salad dressings, and gourmet snack foods.

This ingredient is not vegan because it is a dairy product made from the milk of cows. Furthermore, traditional and certified production standards mandate the use of animal rennet derived from calf stomachs to coagulate the milk, meaning the ingredient contains multiple components sourced from animals.