why vegans read labels

Vitamin D and Lanolin

February 29, 2012 ethics

A number of common foods are enriched with vitamin D without specifying which form of the vitamin they contain or how it was derived. And, as opaque as this may already seem, some companies that manufacture and distribute vitamin D supplements have demonstrably confused ideas of what the term vegan actually means.

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Keeping Animal Bones Out of Sugar

February 26, 2012 ethics

Sugar seems vegan at a glance; it comes from a plant after all. But when the natural sugars from the plant are refined in a factory, they are often filtered through bone char.

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What’s Wrong with Wool?

December 31, 2011 ethics

Wool often tends to be overlooked by animal advocates because its cultivation does not necessitate the death of the animal. However, the cultivation of wool is far from the pastoral idyll one might imagine.

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What’s Hiding in Your Organic Fertilizer?

December 17, 2011 health & nutrition

It’s time to learn about the byproducts in your organic fertilizers, and the truly green alternatives you’ll find in your own backyard, or on the garden store shelf.

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3 Reasons Not to Eat Honey

November 28, 2011 ethics

To make one pound of honey, a colony must visit over two million flowers, flying over 55,000 miles, at up to 15 miles per hour to do so.

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Is Your Alcohol Vegan?

October 15, 2011 food & recipes

Many people, vegan or not, are surprised to discover that there is a plethora of animal-based products that can be found in alcoholic beverages.

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Shellac & Food Glaze

August 15, 2011 why vegans read labels

Many people may not be aware that the glaze that covers some of their favorite products – including vitamins, pharmaceuticals, candy and even some fruit – may actually be made from shellac; a resin from the secretions of the female lac insect. When used in food and confections, shellac has the food additive number E904, [...]

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Hidden Animal Fats

January 17, 2011 why vegans read labels

Animal fat: by any other name it would still be the same vile substance. Tallow, suet and lard are all well-known forms of this awful ingredient, but what about glycerin and glycerides, and what does it mean when a label lists ’stearic acid’ or ‘palmitic acid’?

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Natural Colors – Carmine & Cochineal

December 14, 2010 why vegans read labels

Many consumers may not yet be aware that the red substance coloring their food, fabric, cosmetics or pharmaceuticals could be extracted from the crushed bodies of insects… Carminic acid is a substance found in high concentration in cochineal insects. It is extracted from the insect’s body and eggs and is mixed with aluminum or calcium salts to make carmine dye (also known as cochineal).

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Gelatin

December 7, 2010 why vegans read labels

A translucent, colorless, nearly tasteless substance, gelatin is identified on coded labels by number E441. Like ‘natural flavors’, gelatin can be found in marshmallows, desserts like “Jell-O,” frosted cereals, some low-fat yogurt, desserts, trifles, aspic, and many confectionaries such as gummy bears and jelly babies. It may also be used as a stabilizer, thickener, or texturizer in foods such as jams, yogurt, cream cheese, and margarine.

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