So many everyday products are non-vegan; the most surprising thing that I discovered when I became vegetarian was how many of the “fun” foods contained gelatin, which is derived from animal bones, skin, ligaments, etc. When I learned about how gummy bears were really made, it took the innocence right out of them. This is by no means a complete list, but they were surprising to me as a first time vegan/vegetarian.
Because it contains gelatin:
- Marshmallows
- Gummy Bears
- Jell-O
- Frosted Pop-tarts
- Skittles
- Altoids
- Starburts
- Planters Peanuts
- Barefoot Wine
- Some Yellow Tail Wines
- Robert Mondavi Wines
Because it contains Isinglass:
- Some Beer & Wine brands–check if your favorite booze product is vegan here
- Most Guinness Beers
- Some Snow Beers
- Some Michelob Beers
- Sea Dog Beers
- Beringer Wines
- 19 Crimes
Because it contains L-cysteine that is derived human hair or poultry feathers:
- Some Bread & Bagels from
- Einstein Bros.
- Dunkin Donuts
- McDonald’s
- Pizza Hut
Because it contains anchovy:
- Caesar Dressing
- Tropicana’s Heart Healthy Orange Juice
- Worcestershire sauce
Because it contains animal-derived enzymes, whey, or casein:
- Some chips
- All Doritos except Spicy Sweet Doritos
- BBQ chips (not all, but I usually stay away from these if I don’t feel like checking the ingredients)
- Some Lay’s Chips
- Some Pringles
Because it contains pork:
- Cole Bread
- Cuban Bread
- Minute Maid Juices To Go Ruby Red Grapefruit Drink
- Jiffy Mix Corn Bread Mix
- Special K Protein Snack Bars
- Rice Krispies Treats Squares
- Welch’s Fruit Snacks
- Lucky Charms
- Several Kellogg’s Cereals
What seemingly vegan food or beverage have you discovered wasn’t vegan? What vegan product did you replace it with?
I know people will be surprised by some of these. Thanks for sharing this!
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You’re welcome. I’m happy to share 🙂
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Orange juice contains anchovies and Doritos contain casein?! Thank you so much for this information; it is so important!
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It’s a shame! I used to love eating the cool ranch Doritos.
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Avoiding casein is important to me, and many times when a product label says “dairy free,” they mean Lactose free, but casein is still there.
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Same here. It’s too bad, I loved those. And I don’t like the spicy sweet ones.
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Thanks for the reference and for your great work on boats of oats. I checked my brain against your list of products to avoid. It’s insidious how manufacturers drop stuff in that tweaks the tiniest craving for animal-based ingredients.
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Especially when there’s an alternative, vegan ingredient they could use!
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Nothing is sacred. Peanuts and wine. Wow.
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😂 my thoughts exactly
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Wow! I had no idea ! Thanks for sharing 🙂
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Thanks for stopping by!
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You mention that planters peanuts are not vegan/vegetarian because they contain gelatin. Not really sure about that. Planters peanuts ingredient lists says peanuts, salt.
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Most of the Planters products I checked have simple ingredients like you described. The Planters Dry Roasted Peanuts contain gelatin though.
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Razor blades! That little strip will sometimes contain animal products. This was a new find. Also…I know that many vegetarians do eat cheese. My daughter who is vegan recently discovered that Parmesan cheese has enzymes from cows stomachs. Very disgusting.
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