Beware: 7 scary animal products hidden in your food

Vegans avoid consuming meat, dairy, and eggs. On a surface level, that’s pretty straightforward!

However, packaged food is loaded with non-vegan ingredients that aren’t so easy to decipher. Here are the 5 most common sneaky animal products hiding in your food:

1. Casein

Casein is a protein found in milk. It’s often present in ‘dairy-free’ cheeses such as some “Go-Veggie” products.

2. Whey powder

A by-product of cheese and casein manufacturing, whey powder is found in sneaky places such as granola bars, baked goods, and chocolate.

3. Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate

This chemical compound derived from animal fat (tallow) is often used in baked goods, breads, and other products as a preservative.

4. Lysozyme

Sourced from egg whites, lysozyme is a food preservative that may be found in fruits and vegetables, tofu bean curd, potato salad, and baked goods like pretzels.

5. Albumin

Derived from egg whites, albumin may be in cakes, cookies, and candies, where it acts as a coagulant.

6. Lanolin or cholecalciferol

These substances are derived from a part of sheep’s wool and are used to produce vitamin D3. They are usually in fortified products such as cereals (Cheerios).

7. Gelatin

Made from ligaments, skin, bones, and organs of cows and pigs, gelatin is found in a range of products like candy, marshmallows, cereal, Jello, cake, ice cream, and even vitamins.

Are you an avid food label reader? What’s the craziest animal-product you’ve found in otherwise vegan food? We’d love to know in the comments below!