It’s been written here before, but labels deserve another article. (Or two or three…) Vegan Labels!

Many vegans prefer labels that say “vegan.” And that’s great. It means who ever is labeling the food or clothing cares about marketing to vegans and making it known that their product is vegan.

But there’s a problem with that label in the US. You can’t always trust labels that say “vegetarian” “vegan” “organic” “kosher” or “parve” because the standards are not always consistent, if there are standards. And many companies do not abide by the standards.

As veganism becomes more and more popular, there will be companies marketing to vegans and selling products labeled “vegan” that are, in fact, not vegan.

The actual ingredient listing is often more accurate. However, the ingredients may be vague, such as “natural flavoring” or “emulsifier,” which may or may not contain animal products.

So the safest thing is to cook yourself or eat at vegan-only restaurants. And cooking for yourself tends to be less expensive and healthier, too. So that’s a good thing. But that is not always possible. Sometimes you have to travel or you just don’t have time to cook.

(Just remember that veganism is your choice. You can be careful about it or you can be flexible. It really depends on what you’re comfortable eating, wearing, consuming. For example, many vegans avoid honey and sugar, but if you’re not ready for that yet, just avoid the animal products you want to avoid.)

So, here are some label items that are NOT vegan:

• lard
• animal shortening
• gelatin
• cholesterol
• suet
• tallow 
• isinglass
• cholecalciferol
• anchovies
• wool
• lan-, lano-, lanolin
• cream (except when prefaced by a vegan item like “rice cream”)
• cheese (except when prefaced by a vegan item like “soy cheese”)
• butter (except when prefaced by a vegan item like “nut butter”)
• yogurt
• whey
• koumiss
• kefir
• ghee
• paneer
• lactose
• rennet, rennin
• casein
• albumin
• carmine, carminic acid
• cochineal
• propolis
• honey
• beeswax
• royal jelly
• bee pollen
• shellac
• silk
• musk
• ambergris
• civet
• sepia

Some additional resources on food and clothing labels and veganism:

• Vegetarian Guide to Labels
• Accidentally Vegan
• Surprisingly Vegan Foods thread
• Surprisingly NOT Veg*n Foods thread
• Hidden Meat
• Hidden Allergens in Foods
• “Certified Vegan” label
• V label (European)

Sections: Vegan Food, Vegan Resources
Topics: Food, labels, resources, Vegan