Posted on January 20, 2022
7 Foods That Might Not Always Be Vegan
A vegan diet consists of plant based foods which contain no animal derivatives and promotes the use of animal-free alternatives to benefit animals, human health, and the environment.
Most vegan friendly products will specify on the label.
However, some foods that might seem vegan friendly are actually not always suitable for vegans. Here is a list of seven of the most common.
- Chocolate – Cocoa itself is vegan, but chocolate normally contains added milk and certain sugars which make it non-vegan, unless stated otherwise. The best way is to look out for the vegan society mark or read the ingredients list. Look out for other dairy products too like whey, casein, butter, and cream that can be added.
- Sweets – including gummies, jellies, sour candies, and marshmallows are not always vegan as they may contain gelatine. Gelatine is commonly derived from animal collagen or boiled bones. Although gelatine should be listed as an ingredient, where it is derived from will not always be stated.
- Beer, wine and cider – can be non-vegan depending on the filtration process which includes isinglass, most commonly used in alcoholic drinks. Isinglass is made from dried swim bladders of fish (gas-filled organ that contributes to fish buoyancy), gelatine, flesh and ligaments, casein (protein from cow’s milk) and albumin from egg whites. It produces a less-cloudy finish and speeds up clarification process. Others use egg whites (albumin) or chitin from shells of crustaceans instead of isinglass. There is no obligation to list animal products used in the production process and therefore it can be difficult to identify vegan drinks by their label. Some non-vegan flavourings like honey, milk and eggs can also be added. Vegan alternatives to isinglass include carrageenan, derived from Irish moss, and pea protein. It would be best to ask the shop staff or look out for the vegan sign.
- Sugar – normal table sugar is either made from sugarcane or sugar beets or coconuts, which is plant-based. However, refined sugar is processed with bone char (bones of cattle) that helps whiten the sugar. Some types of brown sugar which have molasses added to achieve the brown colour may also contain bone char. Look out for the vegan certification and organic versions as they are not allowed to use bone char.
- Creamers – even creamers that are said to be ‘non-dairy’ can contain small amounts of sodium caseinate, which is a milk-based derivate.
- Red coloured foods – to give the red or pink colour to some foods, food supplements, drinks and even cosmetics, it can be common to use an ingredient called carmine, which is derived from an insect, cochineal scale. It is best to look at the ingredients list for this.
- Worcestershire sauce and Red/Green Thai curry sauce – traditionally contains anchovies or fish sauce, although vegan friendly sauces are now available.
The best way to check if a product is vegan friendly is to look at the ingredients listing, be familiar with the food/drink manufacturing process and look out for the vegan certification. Luckily with the popularity of veganism, we now have a market full of vegan friendly alternatives that are readily available.
