| Albumen |
A
simple water-soluble protein found in many animal tissues and liquids.
It is mainly derived from the white of eggs (most
likely from battery hens). |
| Alpaca |
Clothing
fibre derived from the alpaca, a relative of the llama. |
|
Anchovies |
Small,
silvery fish of the herring family. Used mainly on pizzas and in some brands
of Worcestershire sauce. |
|
Angora |
Clothing fibre made from the long silky hair of special breeds of rabbit or goat. |
Animal Fat /
Animal Shortening |
The
fat derived from animal carcasses. |
| Aspic |
Savoury jelly derived
from meat or fish. |
| Beeswax |
The
yellow to grayish-brown wax secreted by honeybees for constructing
honeycomb. |
| Bread |
Most
bakers now use vegetable-based emulsifiers (471, 472 etc.) in their
breads.
Also refer to Flour below. |
| Brushes |
Animal hair can be
used for paint, shaving, bath, and tooth brushes. Watch for "Natural Bristle". |
| Capsules |
Usually
made from Gelatine, vegetarian
alternatives are becoming more readily available (e.g. Vege-Caps). |
| Carmine |
Refer to Cochineal
below. |
| Casein |
The protein derived
from cow's milk. |
| Cashmere |
A
clothing material that comes from the underbelly of a special breed of
Himalayan goat (it's the animal's natural protection from the severe
cold). It is obtained by combing each goat by hand during the moulting
season. |
|
Caviar |
Fish eggs. The fish
must be killed to obtain the eggs. |
| Cheese |
Likely to have been
produced using animal Rennet, which is derived from the stomach of killed
calves. There are many non-animal rennet cheeses available
- ask at your local health food shop. (For a listing of some of
the cheeses available, refer to our Great
Veggo Products page.) |
| Chewing gum |
Often contain
Glycerine. Apparently Wrigley's use a vegetable glycerine. |
| Chitin |
Produced from crab
and shrimp shells. |
|
Cochineal
|
A
natural red dye derived from the dried bodies of the female scale insect
Dactylopius coccus costa. May be listed as 'colour 120’ when
used in food products. |
| Down |
Usually
from slaughtered ducks or geese, though some live plucking does occur;
used in bedding. |
| Eggs |
Some vegetarians may
wish to avoid battery eggs and/or barn eggs. |
| Elastin |
The fibrous, tough connective tissue surrounding muscle, and found in elastic tissues such as the walls of arteries. Used in cosmetics. |
|
Emulsifier |
An ingredient used in
many food products to facilitate the mixing of liquids that would
otherwise not mix (e.g. oil and water). Emulsifiers can be derived
from plant or animal sources. |
| Felt |
Made
from wool or fur. Felt is usually made from wool, but it can be made
from fur. You should be careful buying a felt hat as it may be either.
Rabbit skin is often the source of fur for felt hats. |
| Film |
Refer to
Photography below. |
| Fish Scales |
Crushed scales from fish are sometimes used for the shimmering effect in cosmetics. |
| Flour |
Some
commercial flours are treated with treatment agent 920 (L-Cysteine)
which can be extracted from duck and chicken feathers or hair. It is used as a
'dough improver' or 'bread improver'. The L-Cysteine is added to the
ingredients during the mixing process prior to baking. During mixing, it
reacts with a protein in wheat. As the original L-Cysteine amino acid is
not present in the final product, by law there is no requirement to list
it as an ingredient.
Before about 1998 all L-Cysteine used in the food industry was derived from either feathers or hair and was not suitable for vegetarian diets. Since that time two methods for producing L-Cysteine through bacterial fermentation have been developed which do not use any animal products and are vegan
suitable: the L-Cysteine is produced by the fermentation of a starch based ingredient, typically corn syrup or molasses. |
|
Gelatin/Gelatine |
A
thickening, stabilising, emulsifying agent made by boiling animal skin,
ligaments, bones, sinews or other connective tissue (usually cattle or
pigs). Alternatives include Agar Agar, Carrageen and ‘Gelozone’.
Commercial vegetarian-suitable jelly mixes are also available - refer to
our Great Places to Shop
and Great Vegetarian & Vegan Products pages. |
| Glycerin/Glycerine |
A
colourless, sweet, thick, oily liquid which is obtained from animal or
vegetable fats and oils. Used in making explosives and medicines and for
sweetening foods. In spite of its sweetness glycerine is not a sugar. |
| Gravy |
Vegetarian
gravy mixes are available (refer to our Great
Vegetarian & Vegan Products pages). Be careful in restaurants. |
| Honey |
A
food made by bees for bees. Avoided by most vegans. |
| Isinglass |
A fining agent derived
from the swim bladders of certain fish, especially the Chinese sturgeon.
Used in the production of most beers and wines (Refer to our Alcoholic
Beverages page.) |
| Jelly |
Usually
contains Gelatine,
athough alternatives are available. (Refer to our Great
Places to Shop and Great
Vegetarian & Vegan Products pages.) |
| Keratin |
A
tough, insoluble protein that is the main structural constituent of
hair, nails, feathers, horns, and hooves. |
|
Kosher |
Kosher
foods are those that are prepared in accordance with Jewish dietary laws.
Some of these foods are suitable for vegetarians and vegans while others
are not. |
| L-Cysteine |
Refer to Flour
above. |
| Lactic Acid |
A
bitter-tasting acid that forms when certain bacteria combine with
lactose (milk sugar) or sugar. To produce lactic acid commercially,
carbohydrates such as whey, cornstarch, potatoes or molasses are heated
at high temperatures and fermented by bacteria. |
| Lactose |
The sugar derived from
cow's milk. Sometimes produced as a by-product of the cheese making process. |
| Lanolin |
A waxy grease
extracted from sheeps'
wool. |
| Lard |
Rendered and clarified
Animal Fat. |
| Lecithin |
An
Emulsifier (which allows water & oils to mix); it is mostly derived from soy beans,
seeds, peanuts and maize. Although it may be derived from eggs, in this form it is
usually declared as ‘egg yolk’ on food packaging and not as ‘322’. |
|
Leather |
Around 10% of the value
of an animal at slaughter is in its skin. |
| Mohair |
Clothing fibre derived
from the white Angora goat. It's a long fibre, coarser than cashmere. |
| Musk |
Extracted from the genitals
of musk deer, musk rats, civet and beavers by a cruel and painful
process. Used in perfumery and as a flavouring. Musk can be replaced
with plant based labdanum oil. |
| Parve or Pareve |
A category of Kosher products that contains neither meat or milk products or their
derivatives. However, this category of products is permitted to contain egg, fish and
honey. (Under Jewish dietary law fish is not considered the same as
other meats.) |
| Pasta |
Some pasta contains
egg. |
| Pastry |
Some pastry contains
Animal Fat. |
PEG 120 (Methyl
Glucose Dioleate) |
Used in
some cosmetics/toiletries. Derived from fish oil. |
PPG 20 (Methyl
Glucose Ether) |
Used in
some cosmetics/toiletries. Derived from fish oil. |
| PEG (Oleyl Alcohol) |
Used in some cosmetics/toiletries.
Derived from fish oil. |
| Pepsin |
Enzyme from a pig's
stomach, used like Rennet. |
|
Photography |
All photographic film
uses Gelatine. Fuji laboratories have
been investigating non-animal alternatives. |
|
Rennet |
An enzyme taken from
the stomach of killed calves and used in the cheese making process as a
coagulation agent. There are many non-animal rennet cheeses available - ask at
your local health food shop. These cheeses use microbial or fungal
enzymes instead. (For a listing of some of the cheeses available,
refer to our Great
Vegetarian & Vegan Products page.) |
| Roe |
Fish eggs, see
Caviar above. |
| Royal Jelly |
A
secretion from the salivary glands of worker bees. |
| Shellac |
A
glazing agent obtained from the resin produced by the lac insect. Used
as a glaze on some lollies, chocolate coated nuts etc. and as a waxy
coating on some fruits. |
| Silk |
The shiny fibre made by silkworms to form their cocoons. To obtain
the silk used in cloth, silkworms are usually boiled in their cocoons. |
| Soap |
Many
soaps contain Animal Fat and/or Glycerine.
Vegetable oil based soaps are widely available these days, just check
the labels. |
| Soup |
Watch out for meat-based
stock. Be careful in restaurants. Vegetarian stock cubes are available,
even in beef and chicken flavours (e.g. Massell). |
| Suede |
See Leather
above. |
| Suet |
Derived from
Animal Fat. Suet in recipes can be substituted with vegetable margarines (e.g. Nuttelex). |
| Tallow |
A type of Animal
Fat.
Used as an ingredient in some soaps and candles. Most commercial chips
(not crisps) are pre-cooked in tallow by the manufacturer. |
| Toothpaste |
Many brands contain
Glycerine. |
| Washing powder |
Soap based powders
may contain Animal Fats. |
| Whey |
The watery part of milk
that separates from the curds (the more thick or coagulable part),
especially in the process of making cheese. |
Worcestershire
Sauce |
Most brands contain
Anchovies. |
| Yogurts |
Some yogurts (even
some soy yogurts) contain Gelatine. |
Ethical
Consumption: For People, Animals & Planet (Australia)
Includes a comprehensive list of food additives.
AnimalFreeZone
(UK)
AnimalFreeZone offers a unique reference point on products made without animals or animal testing.
Cosmetics, medicines, clothes, furniture...we discuss the availability, ethics and properties of animal
free products. Our features and articles are written by professional journalists and experts - who have
a particular interest, or a background in this area.
Stumbling Blocks Information
Sheet
(UK)
An info. sheet on animal products compiled by the Vegetarian Society of the UK.
Questions
About Food Ingredients (USA)
A FAQ page by the Vegetarian Resource Group.
Animal
Ingredients (USA)
PETA's extensive list of animal ingredients and their alternatives. Helps
consumers avoid animal ingredients in food, cosmetics, and other products.
Hidden
Animal Ingredients
(USA)
CyberParent's list of animal products in foods.
