Food Additives

Worried about those pesky numbers in food ingredients being non-vegan? If it appears on this list then it may be a problem!

Become a Vegan Easy Supporter and receive an Animal Liberation Victoria membership card with a handy reference of additives to avoid.

All of the following additives are potentially not vegan.

If in doubt, you may need to google the product or contact the manufacturer to determine if the additive they use is suitable for vegans.

101

Riboflavin

May contain milk

104

Quinoline Yellow

Common use Colours

May involve the use of gelatine as a carrier.

120

Cochineal Carminic acid Carmines Natural Red 4

Never Vegan

Common use Colours

153

Carbon Black

Common use Colours

Likely derived from various parts of animals unless otherwise described as Vegetable Carbons.

161g

Canthaxanthin Natural Orange Colour Xanthophylls

Common use Colours

Usually derived from plant material, but it can sometimes be made from fish and invertebrates with hard shells.

170

Calcium Carbonate

May be derived from the shells of marine organisms, snails, and eggs.

252

Potassium Nitrate Saltpetre

Common use Preservative

Saltpetre is usually assumed to be of natural origins but it can be artificially manufactured from waste animal matter.

270

Lactic Acid

Common use Antioxidant

Can be obtained from whey (from milk).

322

Lecithins

Common use Emulsifier Stabilizer

Some Lecithin contains egg yolks. Other sources of Lecithin are soy (vegan). Lecithin can also be directly obtained from animal fat. Check with manufacturer.

325

Sodium Lactate

Common use Antioxidant

A type of salt derived from Lactic Acid.

326

Potassium Lactate

Common use Antioxidant Acidity Regulator

A type of salt derived from Lactic Acid.

327

Calcium Lactate

Common use Antioxidant

A type of salt derived from Lactic Acid.

328

Ammonium Lactate

A type of salt derived from Lactic Acid.

329

Magnesium Lactate

A type of salt derived from Lactic Acid.

415

Xanthan gum

Common use Thickener Stabiliser

A derivative of bacterial fermentation. Chicken lysozyme and whey may be used in the manufacturing process.

422

Glycerol Humectant Solvent Sweet Glycerin

Common use Sweetener

Mostly from animal fats, unless otherwise stated.

430

Polyoxyethylene (8) stearate

Common use Emulsifier Stabiliser

431

Polyoxyethylene (40) stearate

Common use Emulsifier

432

Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monolaurate

Common use Emulsifier Polysorbate 20 Emulsifier

433

Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monooleate

Common use Emulsifier Polysorbate 80 Emulsifier

434

Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monopalmitate

Common use Emulsifier Polysorbate 40 Emulsifier

435

Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monostearate

Common use Emulsifier Polysorbate 60 Emulsifier

436

Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan tristearate

Common use Emulsifier Polysorbate 65 Emulsifier

Not likely of animal origin as these additivies are normally derived from various types of fruit. But it's worth checking with manufacturers the exact origins of the ingredients.

441

Gelatine

Never Vegan

Common use Emulsifier Gelling Agent Thickener

Gelatine is derived from animal skin and hoofs. It can be found in many kinds of confectionery, jellies and other sweets.

442

Ammonium phosphatides

Common use Emulsifier

Can sometimes be made using Glycerol.

469

Sodium caseinate

Never Vegan

Common use Emulsifier Stabiliser

Derived from milk

470a

Sodium of fatty acids Potassium of fatty acids Calcium Salts of fatty acids

Common use Emulsifier Anti-caking agent

Derived from fatty acids, may originate from animal sources.

470b

Magnesium Stearate

Common use Emulsifier Anti-caking agent

Derived from fatty acids, may originate from animal sources.

471

Mono- and Diglycerides of fatty acids glyceryl monostearate glyceryl distearate

Common use Emulsifier

May contain animal fats.

472a 472b 472c 472d 472e 472f

Acetic acid esters Lactic acid esters Citric acid esters Tartaric acid esters Mono- and diacetyl tartaric acid esters Mixed acetic and tartaric acid esters

Common use Emulsifier

Emulsifiers related to the mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids family. Because the 472 family is derived from Glycerine (Glycerol 422), they may contain animal fats.

473

Sucrose esters of fatty acids

Common use Emulsifier

May be derived from animals.

474

Sucroglyceride

Common use Emulsifier

May be derived from animals.

475

Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids

Common use Emulsifier

May be derived from animals.

476

Polyglycerol Polyricinoleate

Common use Emulsifier

May contain animal fats.

477

Propane-1 2-diol esters of fatty acids propylene glycol esters of fatty acids

Common use Emulsifier

May contain animal fats.

478

Lactylated fatty acid esters of glycerol and propane-1

Common use Emulsifier

May contain animal fats.

479b

Thermally oxidized soya bean oil interacted with mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

Common use Emulsifier

May contain animal fats.

481

Sodium Stearoyl-2-lactylate

Common use Emulsifier

Can be obtained from whey and may contain animal fats.

482

Calcium Stearoyl-2-lactylate

Common use Emulsifier

Can be obtained from whey and may contain animal fats.

483

Stearyl tartrate

Common use Emulsifier

May contain animal fats.

484

Stearyl citrate

Produced by the esterification of citric acid with stearyl alcohol. The stearyl acid can be either plant or animal fat, though usually it is derived from vegetable oil.

491 492 493 494 495

Sorbitan monostearate Sorbitan Tristearate Sorbitan Monolaurate Sorbitan Monooleate Sorbitan Monopalmitate

Common use Emulsifier Stabiliser

From stearic acid and is used in dried yeast. Stearic acid is found in both vegetable and animal fats, but commercial production is usually synthetic. Check with manufacturer.

542

Bone phosphate

Never Vegan

Common use Anti-caking agent

570

Stearic Acid Fatty Acid

Common use Anti-caking agent

Stearic acid is found in vegetable and animal fats, but commercial production is usually synthetic. Often used in dried yeast.

572

Magnesium stearate Calcium stearate

Common use Emulsifier Anti-caking agent

585

Ferrous lactate

Common use Colours

May be derived from animal source such as whey.

627

Disodium guanylate Disodium 5-guanylate Disodium 5'-guanylate

Common use Flavour enhancer

Almost always made from fish.

630

Inosinic acid

Common use Flavour enhancer

Almost always made from animals and fish.

631

Disodium inosinate Disodium 5-inosinate Disodium 5'-inosinate

Common use Flavour enhancer

Almost always made from animals and fish.

635

Disodium 5-ribonucleotides Disodium 5'-ribonucleotides

Common use Flavour enhancer

Often made from animals.

640

Glycine Glycine sodium salt

Common use Flavour enhancer

Can sometimes be prepared from gelatine, but can be made synthetically.

901

Beeswax Beeswax white and yellow

Never Vegan

Common use Glazing agent

A product derived from the work of bees.

904

Shellac

Never Vegan

Common use Glazing agent

From a resin secreted by an insect called the lac beetle. Many beetles are killed when the resin is collected.

910 921

L-cysteine L-cysteine hydrochloride L-cysteine hydrochloride monohydrate

Never Vegan

Common use Improving agent

Produced commercially from animal and human hair (and feathers). L-cysteine is used as an additive in around 5% of bread and other bakery products. It is not used in wholemeal bread or other wholemeal bakery products.

913

Lanolin

Never Vegan

Common use Wax

Wax from sheep excreted by the skin of sheep and extracted from their wool.

920

L-cysteine L-cysteine hydrochloride L-cysteine hydrochloride monohydrate

Common use Improving agent

May sometimes be synthetically produced - check with product supplier.

921

L-cysteine L-cysteine hydrochloride L-cysteine hydrochloride monohydrate

Never Vegan

Common use Improving agent

966

Lactitol

Never Vegan

Common use Sweetener

Derived from Lactose, commercially prepared using whey.

1000

Cholic acid

Never Vegan

A bile acid found in humans and animals. It is usually conjugated with glycine or taurine. Most commonly extracted from cows or ox.

1105

Lysozyme

Never Vegan

Common use Enzyme

From eggs.

1518

Glycerol Mono-, Di- and Tri-Acetate or Tracetin

Never Vegan

No Results Found


The following ingredients are also never vegan:

  • Albumen
  • Beeswax
  • Casein
  • Cochineal (carmine)
  • Confectioners glaze
  • Food grade wax
  • Gelatin
  • Isinglass
  • Lard
  • Rennet
  • Vitamin D3 (unless labelled as a vegan alternative)
  • Whey



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