Most people think of certain common foods as being vegan, while in reality they aren’t. Although the basic ingredients of a food might be naturally vegan, you have to remember that most foods today are processed in some way or the other, often using compounds derived from animals. This article will walk you through the list of foods that are at times classified as vegan but are something else. Keep reading!
1. Bananas
Originally, banana is believed to be a vegan food, but research has indicated that the preservative sprays used on banana which is a bacteria-fighting compound, actually comes from shrimps and crabs and that the substances in this sprays have made its way into the fruit. The preservative spray is usually intended to extend the shelf life of the banana but has now infiltrated the fruit making it to lose its 100% vegan properties.
2. White Sugar
White sugar has been considered in the past as very healthy for vegans because it is believed to be refined. However, you should know that the white sugar is often just bleached by filtering it through ‘bone char’ or ‘charred cattle bones’ which are, as the name implies, derived from cattle.
3. Potato Chips
Potato chips are often mistaken for being a vegan food as well. But the shocking news is that it is not entirely so. Some of these powdered-cheese- flavored potato chips contain whey, casein or even animal-derived enzymes.
4. Beer
The Guinness beer company has indicated it will go vegan on the beer it sells in the US by the end of this year -2016. However, most of these beers, (Guinness not excluded) may contain fish bladders and isinglass or a gelatin like substance made with fish bladders, except for certain German and Belgium beer companies who tend to abide by strict regulations that don’t allow animal products.
5. Red Candy
Red candy is not quite a vegan food either, it contains Natural Red #4 – a bright red food colorant that is derived from crushed up cochineal bugs so that it can have its crimson color. Most of these candies contain ingredients such as carmine, carminic acid, cochineal or cochineal extract.
6. Vanilla Ice Cream
The Vanilla ice cream that you love so much and consider vegan is not completely vegan. You must understand that what food scientists use to make “natural flavor” or vanilla scent (among other products) is known as castoreum; and research has indicated that this is actually from a beaver’s rear end. It has been observed that this castoreum is what the beaver uses to spot his territory.
image couresy: saltmarshrunning.com, agweek.com, lifehacker.com.au, thegoodshoppingguide.com,
candycrate.com, epicurious.com.
