For one following a vegan lifestyle, finding what food you can and cannot eat can be wrought with difficulties. It’s easy to think that all fruit and vegetables are vegan, but unfortunately with industrialised agriculture, that assumption cannot be taken for granted. Aside from many agricultural practices that are decidedly non-vegan (see the previous blog) many fruits and vegetables are sprayed with additives or preservatives derived from animal products.
Let’s take a closer look at some foods that are commonly treated with animal-derived products.
Key Takeaways
Industrial Agriculture
So what is industrial agriculture and why is it so bad? Industrial agriculture involves the clear-cutting of fertile and biodiverse land for the planting of large areas of monocultures which are laced with poisonous pesticides, fungicides and herbicides. The practice involves planting for ease of harvest, implementation and shipping, with little concern for the quality of the produce or the health of the soil or ecosystem. See the previous blog for more information.
Bananas
Bananas are often treated with shellac or chitosan, which is made from the shells of shrimp and other crustaceans. It is often sprayed on bananas as a post-harvest treatment, supposedly to fight off undesirable bacteria and improve shelf life and shipping.
Shellac is a refined version of lac and comes from secretions of the lac insects (Kerria lacca). Aside from agriculture, it’s also used in the beauty industry for nails, hair spray and a host of other applications. It is utilised for its shiny, glossy appearance. Commercial shellac nowadays is produced mainly in India and Thailand and is commonly listed as E-904.
The lac insects are parasitic, sucking sap from their host trees which is chemically transformed. When secreted, it hardens upon contact with the air and forms a protective shell around the eggs. This protective layer is what is harvested.
Citrus
Citrus fruits are treated with imazalil post-harvest. This toxic additive is also obtained from insects. Opt for organic options instead to reduce your unnecessary exposure to this harmful fungicide.
Citrus are also sometimes treated with wax or beeswax, making them unsuitable for vegans. This is listed as E-901 and includes both white and yellow wax. Apples also undergo a similar process. Organic apples are waxed with caranuba wax; a suitable vegan alternative.
Wax is made by worker bees to make combs inside their hives, and is used as a place to shelter the young and store pollen and honey for the winter months.
Carmine
Whilst neither a fruit nor a vegetable, this additive is often added to food because it imparts a deep red colour. It is extracted from female cochineal insects and is often labelled as E 120. It is reported that 70,000 beetles are crushed to extract 1 pound of the dye. It can be found in many foods with a red colour as well as non-food items and household goods.
Nowadays there are synthetic and other natural alternatives that are being used commercially, but Carmine still finds its way into various food items.
White Sugar
Whilst also neither a fruit nor a vegetable, white sugar (especially in the US, but less so outside) often contains crushed cow bones known as bone char. The idea behind this unnecessary practice is supposedly to whiten the sugar. What is sold as brown sugar has often been refined as white sugar and is subsequently treated with molasses.
The bone char is known as edible bone phosphate and is labelled as E 542, and comes mostly from cattle and pig bones from largescale, harmful industrial farms. Some companies try to trick consumers by stating their sugar contains ‘natural carbon,’ which is just another way of saying bone char.
For the sweet-toothed USA-based vegans out there, opt for organic, imported, vegan-certified sugars. This also means that many processed foods containing sugar may not be suitable for vegans.
Fortified Cereals
Many companies add extra vitamins and minerals to their cereals to make them more appealing to the health-conscious consumer. Unfortunately, many of these additives are derived from animal ingredients. Aside from the usual culprits such as milk products, sugars and shellac, cereals can also contain additives such as lanolin oil (for added vitamin D3) which is obtained from sheep's wool.
Lanolin Oil
Lanolin oil is secreted by sheep to help them keep their wool dry, but in industrial food is used as a softener. It can also be found in the beauty industry in things like moisturisers. It is also known as wool fat, wool oil or wool grease, from Lana meaning wool in Latin and is secreted from the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals.
Lanolin is often labelled as E913.
Chewing Gum
Chewing gum often contains stearic acid, glycerin and sometimes gelatin, all of which are derived from animals. Be sure to check the labels! Stearic acid is listed as E 570.
Vinegar
Vinegar itself is vegan as it is made from things like apples, grains, or grapes or other fruit. However, much like beer or wine, whether is suitable for vegans depends on how it is filtered. Filtration practices can include the use of casein (from milk) gelatin, egg whites, or isinglass (fish bladders.)
FINAL THOUGHTS
Many industrialised products contain unnecessary animal-derived additives that can easily be missed if you’re not careful. For those following a vegan lifestyle, it’s important to familiarise yourself with some of these common animal-derived additives and preservatives and opt for organic whole foods wherever possible.
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