Not veganAdditive
Is Gelatin vegan?
No — gelatin is boiled collagen from pig skin, cattle hide and bones.
40 ingredients that trip people up at the shelf — what they actually are, what to look for on the label, and the swap that does the same job.
No — gelatin is boiled collagen from pig skin, cattle hide and bones.
No — honey is made by bees for bees, so vegans avoid it.
No — carmine is a red dye made from crushed cochineal insects.
Depends — some cane sugar is filtered through bone char from cattle bones.
Depends — some cask beers are clarified with isinglass from fish swim bladders.
No — whey is the liquid left when milk curdles into cheese.
No — casein is the main protein in cow's milk.
No — shellac is a resin secreted by lac insects and harvested with them.
Depends — L-cysteine dough conditioner can come from duck feathers, hog hair or fermentation.
Depends — this emulsifier can be made from plant oils or animal fat.
Depends — most D3 is from sheep wool lanolin, but lichen D3 is vegan.
Depends — fish oil is not vegan, but algae oil gives the same EPA and DHA.
Depends — "natural flavours" can legally include animal-derived extracts.
Yes, palm oil is vegan — but deforestation kills orangutans and other wildlife.
No — traditional rennet comes from the stomach lining of slaughtered calves.
Usually yes — commercial lecithin is nearly always soy or sunflower.
Depends — glycerin can be made from plant oils, petroleum or animal fat.
Usually no — the classic recipe is fermented with anchovies.
Depends — traditional kimchi is fermented with fish sauce or salted shrimp.
Depends — many wines are fined with egg white, casein, gelatin or isinglass.
No — beeswax is secreted by honeybees to build the hive.
Usually yes by ingredients, though the maker warns of milk cross-contact.
Usually yes — but check for milk, honey, whey and L-cysteine.
Usually yes above 70% cocoa, but many bars add milk fat or are made on dairy lines.
Usually no — classic marshmallows are set with gelatin.
No — collagen powder is made from cattle hide, bones or fish skin.
No — fish sauce is fermented anchovies and salt.
No — lanolin is grease squeezed from sheared sheep's wool.
Usually yes — commercial taurine in drinks and supplements is synthetic.
Yes — supplemental B12 is grown by bacteria, not taken from animals.
Depends — the potato is vegan, but the frying fat, coating and fryer are not always.
Usually yes — gelatin and carmine were removed years ago in most markets.
Usually yes — peanuts, salt and oil are plant foods; honey and omega-3 versions are the exceptions.
Usually yes — brewed soy sauce is soybeans, wheat, salt and koji mould.
Usually yes — chickpeas, tahini, lemon, garlic and olive oil are all plants.
Depends — dried Italian pasta is flour and water, but fresh pasta is usually made with egg.
Usually no — classic pesto Genovese contains parmesan and pecorino.
Usually no — naan is traditionally enriched with yoghurt, milk and sometimes ghee.
Usually yes — avocado, lime, onion, chilli and coriander are all plants.
Usually yes — it is boiled tree sap, though a little animal fat is used as a defoamer in some production.
Check the ingredient list for animal-derived names and E numbers such as gelatin (E441), carmine (E120), shellac (E904), whey, casein and lanolin. When an ingredient is ambiguous — mono- and diglycerides, glycerine, natural flavour — the source can be plant or animal, so the manufacturer is the only reliable answer. Each page here lists exactly what to look for.
Gelatin in sweets and capsules, carmine in red drinks and yoghurts, whey and casein in crisps and bread, isinglass in some beers and wines, honey in cereals and sauces, and animal-derived vitamin D3 in fortified foods.
Not necessarily. 'Plant-based' is a marketing term with no legal definition in most countries and is sometimes used for products that still contain milk or egg derivatives. A certified vegan mark or a full ingredient check is more reliable.