Criteria For Vegan Food
Products that are licensed to carry the (Vegan Society's trademark) or which are listed in the Animal Free Shopper must meet the Society's animal free criteria; i.e. vegan products must, as far as is possible and practical, be entirely free from animal involvement. The listing below specifies what this means in more detail.
Vegetable, mineral or plant/mineral-derived synthetic forms of the substances in this listing are acceptable, as are microbiologically-fermented substances of plant origin No Animal Ingredients
The manufacture and/or development of the product, and where applicable its ingredients, must not involve, or have involved, the use of any animal product, by-product or derivative. Such as: Additives: Animal-Derived
E120 – cochineal E542 – edible bone phosphate E631 – sodium 5'-inosinate E901 – beeswax E904 – shellac
calcium mesoinositol hexaphosphate lactose sperm oil/spermaceti Additives: Possibly Animal-Derived
E101 – riboflavin, lactoflavin, vitamin B2 E101(a) – riboflavin 5'-phosphate E153 (believed animal-free version only may be used in food) – carbon black, vegetable carbon E161(b) – lutein E161(g) – canthaxanthin E236 – formic acid E237 – sodium formate E238 – calcium formate E270 – lactic acid E322 – lecithin E325 – sodium lactate E326 – potassium lactate E327 – calcium lactate E422 – glycerol (glycerine) E430 (believed to be no longer permitted in food) – polyoxyethylene (8) stearate, polyoxyl (8) stearate E431 – polyoxyethylene (40) stearate, polyoxyl (40) stearate E432 – polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate, polysorbate 20, tween 20 E433 – polyoxyethylene sorbitan mono-oleate, polysorbate 80, tween 80 E434 – polyoxyethylene sorbitan monopalmitate, polysorbate 40, tween 40 E435 – polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate, polysorbate 60, tween 60 E436 – polyoxyethylene sorbitan tristearate, polysorbate 65, tween 65 E470(a) – sodium, potassium and calcium slats of fatty acids E470(b) – magnesium salts of fatty acids E471 – glycerides of fatty acids, glyceryl monostearate, glyceryl distearate E472(a) – acetic acid esters of glycerides of fatty acids, acetoglycerides, glycerol esters E472(b) – lactic acid esters of glycerides of fatty acids, lactylated glycerides, lactoglycerides E472© – citric acid esters of glycerides of fatty acids E472(d) – tartaric acid esters of glycerides of fatty acids E472(e) – mono and diacetyltartaric acid esters of 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 castor oil, polyglycerol polyricinoleate; – polyglycerol esters of dimerized fatty acids of soya bean oil E477 – propylene glycol esters of fatty acids; propane-1,2-diol esters of fatty acids E478 – lactylated fatty acid esters of gylcerol and propane-1,2-diol E479(b) – thermally oxidized 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, span 65 E493 – sorbitan monolaurate, span 20 E494 – sorbitan mono-oleate, span 80 E495 – sorbitan monopalmitate, span 40 E570 – fatty acids (including myristic, stearic, palmitic and oleic), butyl stearate E572 – magnesium salts of fatty acids (including magnesium stearate); – calcium stearate E585 – ferrous lactate E627 – guanosine 5'-disodium phosphate, sodium guanylate, disodium guanylate E635 – sodium 5'-ribonucleotide E640 – glycine and its sodium salt E920 – L-cysteine hydrochloride E1518 – glyceryl mono-, di- and tri-acetate (triacetin) calcium hepatonate calcium phytate diacetin glyceryl leucine monoacetin oxystearin any unspecified flavourings Animal Fibres
angora, astrakhan, cashmere, mohair, wool
Animal Milks Animal Milk Derivatives
casein, caseinates, lactates, lactic acid, lactose
Bee Products
bee pollen, bee venom, beeswax, honey, propolis, royal jelly
Dairy Products And By-Products
butter, cheese, whey, yoghurt
Eggs Human-Derived Substances
eg keratin, placenta
Items obtained directly from the slaughter of animals
fish (including anchovies), game and their derivatives (eg meat/fish extracts and stocks), poultry, meat
Marine Animal Products
ambergris, capiz, caviar(e), chitin, coral, fish scales, fishmeal, isinglass, marine oils and extracts (eg fish oils, shark oil (squalene or squalane), seal oil, whale oil), natural sponge, pearl, roe, seal meat, shellfish, sperm oil, spermaceti wax, whale meat
Miscellaneous
amniotic fluids, animal and fish glues, carmine/carminic acid, catgut, chamois, cochineal, crushed snails or insects, fixatives (eg musk, civet, castoreum) hormones (eg oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone) ivory, lanolin(e), oil of mink, parchment, placenta, silk, shellac, snake venom, some vitamins (eg D3), urea, vellum, and any carriers, processing aids or release agents (see box below) containing/comprising substances of animal origin
Slaughter By-Products
animal fats (eg dripping, lard, suet, tallow), amino acids, aspic, bone, bone charcoal, bone-meal, bristles, collagen, down, dried blood, fatty acid derivatives, feathers, fur, gelatin(e), glycerin(e)/glycerol, hair, hides (leather, suede etc), hoof & horn meal, oleic acid, oleoic oil, oleostearin, pepsin, proteins (eg elastin, keratin, reticulin), rennet, skins, stearates, stearic acid, stearin(e)
Note
Animal products are sometimes used in instances that are not immediately obvious, for example as:
carriers – gelatine may be used to carry beta-carotene and D2
processing aids – lactose is often used to fix flavour in crisps
release agents – may be used to prevent confectionery and
baked goods adhering to manufacturing equipment
NO ANIMAL TESTING
The development and/or manufacture of the product, and where applicable its ingredients, must not involve, or have involved, testing of any sort on animals conducted at the initiative of the manufacturer or on its behalf, or by parties over whom the manufacturer has effective control.