Easy Cheese is a Nabisco product that comes in a spray dispenser, much like whipped cream topping. Despite looking very, very, very artificial, it also is mostly cheese based. What’s with the weird cheese based questions lately?

Ingredients: WHEY, CHEDDAR CHEESE (MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES), CANOLA OIL, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, MILK, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF SODIUM CITRATE, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SALT, LACTIC ACID, SODIUM ALGINATE, SORBIC ACID AS A PRESERVATIVE, APOCAROTENAL (COLOR), ANNATTO (COLOR), ENZYMES, CHEESE CULTURE.

Source: NabiscoWorld

Cheez Whiz is Kraft Product used for spreads and dipping. It looks SUPER artificial, but as you can see from the ingredients list, it’s actually mostly cheese.

Ingredients WHEY, CANOLA OIL, MILK, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, MALTODEXTRIN , SODIUM PHOSPHATE, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SALT, LACTIC ACID, SODIUM ALGINATE, MUSTARD FLOUR, WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE (VINEGAR, MOLASSES, CORN SYRUP, WATER, SALT, CARAMEL COLOR, GARLIC POWDER, SUGAR, SPICES, TAMARIND, NATURAL FLAVOR), SORBIC ACID AS A PRESERVATIVE, MILKFAT, CHEESE CULTURE, OLEORESIN PAPRIKA (COLOR), ANNATTO (COLOR), NATURAL FLAVOR, ENZYMES.

Source: Kraft Site

A1 Steaksauce is a condiment produced by the Kraft Brand (please see this link for more Kraft Brand information). The steak sauce, despite being called steak sauce, is vegan. The ingredients for the original recipe are shown below.

TOMATO PUREE (WATER, TOMATO PASTE), DISTILLED VINEGAR, CORN SYRUP, SALT, RAISIN PASTE, CRUSHED ORANGE PUREE, SPICES AND HERBS, DRIED GARLIC AND ONION, CARAMEL COLOR, POTASSIUM SORBATE (TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS), XANTHAN GUM.

Further, upon reviewing the ingredients for the rest of the brand, they all appear vegan friendly. No mention of the typical non-vegan ingredients for condiments (honey, anchovies, …).

We get asked frequently “is _____ vegan? It says in fine print, may contain … something not vegan. That makes it not vegan, right???” This is a very frequent question. This cross contamination usually happens for one reason: shared production equipment. Factory equipment isn’t cheap, and often times, companies or brands will share production space. This means a machine could be cranking out wheat pasta one minute and rice pasta the next. These packages would like contain the warning, “may contain wheat.” For individuals with celiacs, cross contamination is a definite issue. For vegans, I personally feel the issue isn’t as strict. Do I want to eat anything that isn’t vegan? No, hell no. Do I want to support smaller brands that have to share equipment? Yes, hell yes. By supporting these products, the brand can grow. Growing brands can buy their own equipment, … you see how that goes.

Products that share equipment will have a chance of containing minute amounts of non-vegan ingredients. Imagine a chocolate factory (like Green & Black Chocolates) that produces milk chocolate one day and dark chocolate the next. The same machinery is used so any possible remnants of the previous days milk chocolate supply may still be on the line. The first bar off the line would likely contain some milk products. But the ten thousandth bar off the line would, without a doubt be contaminant free.

For all those vegans who take a hardline on this, I firmly understand. I support and respect your choice to only eat products from 100% vegan companies. For everyone else, use your best judgment.

Go ahead. Relive your childhood, bite into your favorite animal crackers. Chances are, they’re vegan. Lots of store brands appear to be vegan (ie Price Chopper), as well as some major label brands (Barnum’s Animal Crackers, for instance). But avoid most frosted animal crackers. 9 times out of 10, that frosting contains gelatin. Make sure to check the ingredients list as some unfrosted animal crackers also contain whey or other dairy products (ie Mother’s Circus Animal Cookies contain nonfat milk).

Beer is ages old. You’ve all heard the stories. It goes back hundreds if not thousands of years. And traditionally, it involves four ingredients: water, malts (barley or other gains), hops and yeast. So far, everything checks out vegan here … Now, some craft or micro brewers have been adding specialty ingredients to give their beer the edge. From honey to milk chocolate (note: not all “chocolate” beers have milk. In fact, hardly any of them do. The “chocolate” in question actually refers to the type of malt used), anything goes these days. Again, mostly vegan.

The ingredients check out safe, for the most part. However, the clarifying or fining of the beer is when things start to get dicey. Clarifying is the process of making the beer look nice and shiny. It removes solids and proteins, for the most part. Beer makers use different products to clarify beer. Everything from gelatin (not vegan) to isinglass (fish bladders. No joke. Fish bladders). These products may show up in the finished product in VERY minute quantities. Beers that use isinglass range from Guinness to Newcastle to plenty of other UK based beers.

For more information about vegan-friendly beers, as always, visit barnivore.com. Their knowledge of vegan liquor is stellar. You can also check out PETA’s site.

Fun fact for craft fans: one of the brewers at Flying Dog Brewery was/is vegan (I can’t verify if the individual still works there)! And yes, their beers are vegan friendly (minus one made with honey).

Much like the is bread vegan question, we’re frequently asked if bagels are vegan. I wasn’t aware bagels were so mysterious! Fresh bakery bagels are typically made from flour, water, yeast and salt. That’s the basics. Avoid bagels of the following variety: egg, cheddar jack, jalapeno cheddar, chocolate chip (most are milk chocolate, but some could be vegan friendly dark) … Some sweeter bagels can contain whey.

Frozen or mass produced bagels can be different. Some contain L-cysteine which is derived from animals (feathers, crazy). Panera was a shop that sourced animal-derived L-Cysteine previously. Thankfully, their bagels are now vegan friendly!

Ps. Cream cheese is OBVIOUSLY not vegan. But scout out a shop with hummus, peanut butter or, if you are lucky, tofu cream cheese. Good luck!

Jelly Belly jelly beans were Ronald Reagans favorite. He was not vegan, but these jelly beans are ALMOST strictly vegan. The sticking area is related to two products, both used for making the bean “shiny.” Yes, shiny. These two ingredients are beeswax and shellac. Beeswax obviously comes from bees, and shellac can come from crushed insects. Yeah. I’ve read on other sites that Jelly Belly jelly beans contain milk and gelatin. This is NOT true. These beans are free from these products. I’ve also read “reports” that the butter and cheesecake flavors contain dairy products. This is also NOT true. I reached out to Jelly Belly specifically on this issue. This their complete response:

Question: The “buttered popcorn” and other beans contain “natural flavor.” Are any of these natural flavors animal-derived (like actual butter)? Thank you.

Answer: There are no animal-derived products in our beans. The butter flavor is artificial in the Buttered Popcorn.

While not an animal, but an insect, we do use beeswax as a sealant for and to give the beans their shine.

Best Regards,
Scott
Consumer Affairs Representative
Jelly Belly Candy Company

There you have it. A few rumors dispelled. To see the official response from Jelly Belly about their product, check their faq. Specifically, check this entry about vegetarians and vegans.

* I hate having to use that disclaimer. But some vegans are pro honey. Not me, but some are. So whenever items like these come up, you’ll see the disclaimer.

Shiseido is one of the largest cosmetic and beauty products provider in the world. They own a TON of brands. They are headquartered in Japan where animal testing laws for cosmetics are required. Shiseido is trying to get away from this. They have pledged to “end all in-house animal testing by March 2011.” You’ll notice the caveat “in-house.” This is because they are “forced” by law to test on animals for products sold in some Asian countries. I recall reading (can’t find the source right now, but I’ll keep digging) that all of their products sold in America are not tested on animals, probably the American based brands.

Let Shiseido know that you are against animal testing in all forms. Let your voice be heard.

customerservice@shiseidousa.com

Natural cork is harvested from living trees. These trees are frequently referred to as Cork Oak, and mostly grow in the Mediterranean region. The tree bark is CAREFULLY trimmed off the tree every 8 to 14 years. This cycle can continue as long as the tree lives. Now that’s pretty cool.

Synthetic cork is mostly plastic. Interestingly enough, it can be recycled, generally as a #4 or a #7. Double crazy.

Now go pop the top of your favorite vegan wine! (of if you are a teetotaller like me, just go drink some oj … ha)