Hidden Animal Ingredients in Food (what to look for and why they’re there)

You pick up a product at the grocery store to read the ingredient label; surely this is vegan or free from common allergens! 💁‍♀️  Only to discover, milk or other animal-derived ingredients are hidden deep within that list. 🤔  Sound familiar? Unfortunately, this happens quite often. So why are all these animal ingredients in our food? 

Hidden Meat and Dairy ingredients

Meat and dairy products are hidden everywhere–even in foods that should naturally be plant based. There is actually a simple and equally infuriating reason why.

The meat and dairy industry have been on the decline for years. There are hundreds of millions of pounds of surplus. In order to counteract this, they have come up with clever ways to get rid of some of that surplus: by sneaking these ingredients into our food.

Read more about this infuriating practice here.

Common animal derived ingredients in food

For more information on a plant based diet, be sure to check out this post. 🌱

• Meat (beef, lamb, pork, bacon, sausage, lunch meat, etc.)
• Poultry (chicken, turkey, duck, etc)
• Fish and Seafood (all fish, shellfish, lobster, shrimp, anchovies, etc.)
• Eggs
• Milk and Cream
• Cheese
• All other dairy (including butter, sour cream, cream cheese, etc)
• Lard (fat from pigs)
• Honey
• Gelatin (derived from animal bones and connective tissue)
• Sugar
• Foods with added sugar (see link above)
• Some Wine, Beer, and Liquor (*see note below)
• Foods fortified with Vitamin D (vitamin D3 is made from lanolin–the oily substance from sheeps’ wool)
• Ghee (clarified butter)
• Casein (protein from cow’s milk)
• Whey (by-product of cheese production)
• Glucose (usually derived from animal tissues and fluids)
• Lactose (a sugar from the milk of mammals, usually cows)
• Lipase (enzyme from the stomachs and tongue glands of baby cows, goats, and sheep)
• Albumin (egg whites)
• Isinglass (gelatin obtained from fish bladders)
• Pepsin (enzyme from stomach of animals)
• Worcestershire sauce (contains anchovies)
• Glycerides (produced mainly from vegetable oil but animal fats are sometimes used)
• Rennet (enzymes produced in stomachs of cows and sheep)
• Tallow (fat from animals)
• Carmine and Cochineal (artificial red coloring from insects; a.k.a. E120, Natural Red 4)
• Stearic Acid / Stearate (fatty substance from stomach of pigs)
• Shellac / Resinous glaze / Confectioners glaze (extracts from insects–especially in shiny candies)

Always Read Labels!

According to FDA guidelines, a product labeled “nondairy” may still contain casein or other dairy ingredients. Although the FDA does require the company to label these ingredients as milk derived on the label, it is incredibly misleading.

Many beer, wine, and liquor producers use animal products in the clarifying process, called fining. These may be: egg whites, albumin, casein, gelatin, or isinglass.

Other companies use different processes in fining which are animal-free. You can also buy un-fined and unfiltered alcohol which skips this process altogether. Knowing which companies and products are vegan-friendly can require a lot of research and still be a bit ambiguous at times. I recommend contacting the manufacturer directly or checking out barnivore.com. It’s a really great resource to see if your favorite adult beverage is animal-free.

Medicine and Supplements

• Adrenaline (hormone from adrenal glands of hogs, cattle, and sheep)
  • alternative: synthetic adrenaline
• Cortisone, Corticosteroid (hormone from animal adrenal glands)
  • alternative: synthetic cortisone or corticosteroid
• Estrogen, Estradiol (female hormone from a pregnant horse’s urine)
  • alternative: oral contraceptives and menopausal drugs based on synthetic steroids or phytoestrogens, especially palm kernel oil
  • Menopausal symptoms may also be treated with diet and herbs
• Insulin (from a hog’s pancreas)
  • alternative: synthetic, human insulin grown in a lab
• Vitamin A (A1, retinol)
  • alternative: carotene
• Vitamin D3 (from fish liver oils or lanolin)
  • alternative: plant and mineral sources; synthetic

Vitamins and supplements also commonly contain gelatin, carmine, and omega 3 fatty acids from animal sources. Consult with your doctor about which supplements and medications you need and try to find a vegan alternative.

What does “natural flavor” mean?

To be blunt: your guess is as good as mine! 🤷‍♀️ 

When it comes to the term “natural flavors,” there’s a lot of ambiguity. They could be from plant or animal sources, and the FDA requirements for labeling are unclear. Essentially, food manufacturers can pretty much do whatever they want.

“Natural flavors” are typically highly processed chemicals and include anything added for flavor that is not an artificial flavor. Translation: tread carefully, especially when dealing with food allergies. Always contact the manufacturer directly with questions or concerns.

Now what?

The easiest, and ultimately best, option is to eat a whole food plant based diet. Avoiding processed food and only consuming whole plant food is healthier and eliminates the risk of consuming hidden animal products in food.

But, sometimes you just need a quick microwave lunch or frozen pizza for dinner. The next best option is to only purchase processed or packaged foods from fully vegan companies. That way, you can be certain no animal ingredients are hidden somewhere in your food. Some of the more widely available brands are listed here.

Also, be sure to subscribe for exclusive content and information–including some of my favorite animal-free, cruelty-free vegan products. 💚