Is it possible to be fully vegan?
Is it possible to be fully vegan?
Is it possible to be fully vegan?
The keyword here is ‘fully.’ We can swap that word for ‘100%’ for clarity. It might surprise you to hear it but my answer is no.
There are plenty of things that we do or consume, which aren’t vegan and we may not even be aware that this is the case. We may know that some of the things aren’t vegan but we’re not in a place where we can avoid it.
What could possibly be non-vegan?
Now before I get into this, the intention is not to stir up a tornado in your mind. With the following knowledge, you can take a look at how you live, and decide whether you want to try and avoid any of these things, and if so, how it can be done. It doesn’t have to be emotional or create feelings of negativity. If you need help thinking of this through, you can book some time with me and we can work on it together.
Chocolate
The Food and Drug Administration (American based) state that certain amounts of contaminants are safe and acceptable. A 100g bar of chocolate may include up to 60 insect parts and an average of more than 1.0 rodent hair, regardless of the size of the hairs or hair fragments.
“According to Morton Teich, an allergist at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, contamination by cockroaches and their droppings is unavoidable, because it happens at cocoa beans’ source — the farms where they are produced. Preventing them from infiltrating the harvest would require the use of more pesticides, which Teich says are much worse for you than consuming a few extra bug parts.”
Altoids
Altoids contain gelatin. Apparently, the ones labelled sugar free smalls are ‘vegan by accident.’ Alternatively, Polos and Tic Tacs are vegan.
Fruit juice
Some companies use isinglass, or fish bladders, to clarify their juice.
Crayons, soaps, cosmetics, candles, lubricants, chewing gum, hairspray etc
These items, and others, contain stearic acid, which is naturally occurring in plants and animals. However, it’s convenient and probably cheaper for companies to use the animal derivative as it a byproduct from the slaughterhouse.
Carrier bags
Most plastic bags contain some type of animal fat e.g. beef tallow or chicken fat. It’s needed to prevent bags from sticking together.
Alcohol
Some stouts contain milk.
Ales might be brewed with honey.
Wines and beer may contain gelatin, animal proteins, fish proteins, milk, or egg.
Cider may contain cochineal, which comes from beetle shells.
Guacamole
Some brands of Guacamole contain cream or mayonnaise.
Pesto
Pesto often contains Parmesan or Pecorino cheese. It can also contain milk or eggs.
Salad dressings
They often contain cream or eggs.
Soup
Some soups are made with non-vegan stock.
Fruit
Fruit may be glazed in shellac.
Tattoo ink
Some tattoo ink contains bone char, glycerin from animal fat, gelatin from hooves, or shellac from beetles.
Worcestershire Sauce
This traditionally contains anchovies.
Figs
If a female fig wasp enters a fig, once it’s inside, it can’t escape. It dies and decomposes there.
Makeup and makeup brushes
Makeup brushes are often made using real animal hair.
Makeup can contain anything from crushed insects to animal fat.
Cigarettes
Cigarettes may contain castoreum, which is a secretion from glands near a beaver's rectum.
Cereal
Some cereals contain whey or lanolin.
Dominika Piasecka, from The Vegan Society, told the BBC that “Lanolin is the grease extracted by washing the wool in hot water with a detergent.”
Sweets
Jelly sweets often contain gelatine.
Icing sugar
Icing sugar may contain eggs.
Bagels
Some bagels contain the enzyme L. Cysteine, which is sourced from duck and chicken feathers. Einstein Bros. and Dunkin Donuts have both confirmed using L. Cysteine in all of their bagels. Poultry feathers also make an appearance in the garlic bread at Pizza Hut and in Mickey D's cinnamon rolls and apple pies.
Red sweets
The ingredient Natural Red 4 is carmine, which a pigment extracted from the female Dactylopius coccus Costa insect. It's sometimes listed as cochineal, carminic acid or carmine.
Hard-shelled sweets
The coating is usually made from shellac, which is a resin that’s secreted from the female lac bug. It's usually listed as confectioner's glaze.
Peanuts
Some brands use gelatin as an additive to help the salt and other spices adhere to the peanuts.
Which, if any, of the items above, might you consider avoiding?
What about daily living?
Here are a few of the non-vegan things that we probably do on a regular basis.
breathing in insects while we’re sleeping
running over insects when we’re driving
crushing them when we walk
taking medicine
flying
buy clothes that may contain non-vegan dye
Related content
The Independent: Fears rat hair, maggots and mould might start appearing in British food following post-Brexit trade deal
EU Referendum: Brexit - false comparisons
One Green Planet: Cockroaches in chocolate may be causing food allergies
NBC News: Chocolate allergies linked cockroach parts
BBC: Brace yourselves - these nine things aren't actually vegan
“I’m not perfect but I’m trying”