Thursday, February 5, 2009
The Vegetarian Fact Sheet
The Vegetarian Fact Sheet
We all look at ingredients of food and drinks before we buy them, but we may
not always know what the items are. Through ignorance we convince ourselves
that as it doesn't have animal fat or eggs it is suitable to eat. Have a look at the
list below and you will see that there are many more ingredients that we should
look out for.
ADDITIVES See E Numbers.
ALBUMEN Derived from eggs.
ALCOHOLMany alcoholic drinks are fined (ie. clarified) using animal
ingredients, see beer and wine. Spirits may have been produced using bone
charcoal in their production.
ANCHOVIES Small fish, found in some brands of Worcester sauce.
ANIMAL FATCarcass fat not milk fat.
ASPIC Savory jelly derived from meat or fish.
BEER All cask condition "real" ales will have been fined with isinglass.
BETA CAROTENE May be carried in a gelatine stabilizer when added to
liquids such as soft drinks, see soft drinks.
BREAD Most large producers use vegetable based emulsifiers (E471, E472
etc), but local bakers may not. Some bakers may grease the tins with animal fat.
BREAKFAST CEREALS Often fortified with vitamin D3.
BUTTER Pure butter is suitable for vegetarians.
CAPSULES (ie. Medicine Pills) Usually made from gelatine, vegetarian
alternatives are available.
CAVIAR Fish eggs. The fish must be killed to obtain the eggs.
CHEWING GUMOften contain glycerine. Wrigleys use vegetable glycerine.
CHITIN Produced from crab & shrimp shells.
CHYMOSIN Along with pepsin, a constituent of rennet. May be used to
describe genetically produced vegetarian rennet.
COCHINEAL (E120) made from crushed insects. Note: E124 Ponceau 4R is
acceptable although it is sometimes known as Cochineal Red A.
DOWN Usually from slaughtered ducks or geese, though some live plucking
does occur, used in bedding.
EDIBLE FATS Can mean animal fats.
EGGS Menstrual cycle product of chickens.
EMULSIFIERS May not be vegetarian.
FATTY ACIDS May be of animal or vegetable origin.
GELATIN/GELATINEA gelling agent derived from animal ligaments, skins,
tendons, bones etc. Vegetarian alternatives such as Agar Agar and Gelozone
exist.
GLYCERINE/GLYCEROLMay be produced from animal fats, synthesised
from propylene or from fermentation of sugars.
ISINGLASS A lining agent derived from the swim bladders of certain tropical
fish, especially the Chinese sturgeon.
JELLY Usually contains gelatine though alternatives are available.
LACTOSEProduced from milk, often as a by-product of the cheese making
process.
LANOLINProduced from sheep's wool. Used to make vitamin D3.
LEATHER Around 10% of the value of a cow or sheep at slaughter is in its
skin.
LECITHIN Nearly always produced from soya beans, though can be produced
from eggs.
MAGNESIUM STEARATEMay be made from animal fat.
PASTA May contain egg or squid ink.
PASTRY May contain animal fat.
PEPSIN Along with chymosin, a constituent of rennet.
POSTAGE STAMPS The backing glue on UK stamps is free from animal
products.
RENNETAn enzyme taken from the stomach of a newly killed calf used in the
cheese making process. Vegetarian cheese is produced using microbial or fungal
enzymes, or chymosin.
ROEFish eggs, see caviar.
SHELLAC (E904) A secretion from insects.
SOAPS Many soaps are not vegetarian since they use animal fats (look out for
sodium tallowate on the label) and/or glycerine. Vegetarian oil based soaps are
quite widely available.
SOFT DRINKS Some canned Orange drinks use gelatine as a carrier for added
Beta Carotene (this would not appear on the ingredients panel) Apple juice and
other non opaque juices may use gelatine as a fining agent.
STEARIC ACID May be vegetarian or not.
STOCK May contain animal fat.
SUETUsually made from animal fat, vegetable versions are available.
TALLOW An animal fat.
TOOTHPASTEMany brands contain glycerine.
VITAMIN D3 derived from lanolin from sheep's wool.
WAXED PRODUCESeveral supermarkets across the country use wax and
such on their fruits and vegetable to make them look more appealing. Advise:
wash fruit and vegetables before consuming.
WHEY Whey and whey powder are by- products of the cheese making process
which often uses animal rennet.
WORCESTER SAUCEMost brands contain anchovies.
YOGHURTSome low fat yoghurt contain gelatine.
E Numbers
Always non-vegetarian:
E120 Cochineal
E441 Gelatine
E542 Edible Bone Phosphate
E104
E160a(ii)
E120 Cochineal (a red colouring) which is extracted from the carcass of the
female of a breed of cactus-feeding scale insect.
E542 Edible Bone Phosphate (an anti-caking agent and mineral supplement
supplying calcium and phosphorus).
E104 & E160a(ii) are not suitable for vegetarians and may be carried in a
gelatine carrier especially when used in liquids.
Can't be 100% sure:
E270
E322 (may be made from eggs)
E325
E326
E327
These E Numbers may theoretically be made in a non-vegetarian version,
but more often than not are suitable for vegetarians.
Can be produced from both vegetarian and non-vegetarian sources:
E153 Carbon Black
E160a Alpha-, beta-, gamma carotene (may be held in gelatine matrix)
E161(g) Canthaxanthin
E252 Potassium Nitrate
E270 Lactic Acid
E322 Lecithin (may be made from battery eggs)
E325 Sodium Lactate
E326 Potassium Lactate
E327 Calcium Lactate
E422 Glycerol/Glycerin
E430 Polyoxyethylene (Cool stearate
E431 Polyoxyethylene (40) stearate
E432 Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monolaurate
E433 Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan mono-oleate
E434 Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monopalmitate
E435 Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monostearate
E436 Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan tristearate
E442 Ammonium Phosphatides
E470(a) Sodium, potassium and calcium salts of fatty acids
E470(b) Magnesium salts of fatty acids
E471 Mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids
E472(a) Acetic acid esters of mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids
E472(b) Lactic acid esters of mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids
E472(c) Citric acid esters of mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids
E472(d) Tartaric acid esters of mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids
E472(e) Mono- and di-acetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and di-glycerides
of fatty acids
E472(f) Mixed acetic and tartaric acid esters of mono- and di-glycerides of
fatty acids
E473 Sucrose esters of fatty acids
E474 Sucroglycerides
E475 Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids
E476 Polyglycerol esters of polycondensed fatty acids of caster oil
E477 Propane-1,2-diol esters of fatty acids
E478 Lactylated fatty acid esters of glycerol and propane-1,2 diol
E479(b) Thermally oxidised soya bean oil interacted with mono- and di-
glycerides of fatty acids
E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate
E482 Calcium stearoyl-2-lactylate
E483 Stearyl tartrate
E491 Sorbitan monostearate
E492 Sorbitan tristearate
E493 Sorbitan monolaurate
E494 Sorbitan mono-oleate
E495 Sorbitan monopalmitate
E570 Stearic acid
E572 Magnesium salts of fatty acids
E585 Ferrous Lactate
E631 Sodium 5'-inositate
E635 Sodium 5'-ribonucleotides
E640 Glycine and its sodium salt
E910 L-cysteine
E920 L-cysteine and L-cysteine hydrochloride
E921 L-cysteine hydrochloride monohydrate
E966 Lactitol
E1518 Glycerol mono-, di- and tri-acetate
All other E Numbers are to the best of our knowledge always vegetarian.
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