I think the key is doing what is practical. Would I avoid meat, yes. But would I go to difficult lengths, probably not. Many people do not know about the crystallization process. I have met (vegetarian) people who avoid using crystallized for this reason. Apparently mishri (hindi for lumped sugar) is used after taking out the thread. Others who cannot avoid it do use it but use mishri for the elders and people they respect. Also, it is environmentally efficient to avoid meat products as meat is a secondary product. Is it virtuous to avoid inefficient food in these time of crisis and shortages? I think so. A chicken consumes much more than the vegetarian meal that it replaces. This is actually true in the animal kingdom as well. Most giant species are not predators (whales, elephants, giraffes etc.). Again whales consume plankton (it may be debatable if this is meat or not) and that is efficient as it is the primary product.
