Things to look out for if you are vegetarian / vegan

N-Z

•    Oleic acid – fatty acid from either vegetable/animal fats, used in cosmetics.

•    Pepsin - enzyme found in animals gastric juice, may be used in cheese making, see Cheese Production
•    Photography - photographic film uses gelatine and some high quality photo papers.

•    Rennet - an enzyme taken from the stomach of a newly killed calf used in the cheese making process, see Cheese Production
•    Restaurants – may serve non-vegetarian cheese, battery eggs, stock. See Food & Drink Guild for local restaurants.

•    Seedling Symbol - products carrying the Vegetarian Society's seedling symbol have been thoroughly checked to ensure they are suitable for vegetarians.
•    Shoes - Quality synthetic shoes are becoming more widely available.
•    Silk - harvesting silk used in clothing causes the death of the silk worm, see Clothing
•    Soap – these may not be vegetarian since they use animal fats and/or glycerine.
•    Soft Drinks – some orange drinks use gelatine (not listed in the ingredients) as a carrier for added Beta Carotene, see E-Numbers.
•    Stearic Acid – see E-Numbers
•    Stock - may contain animal fat.
•    Suet - may be made from animal fat, vegetable versions are available.
•    Sweets – may contain gelatine/E120.

•    Toothpaste - some brands contain glycerine.

•    Vegan - The Vegan Society produces ‘The Animal Free Shopper’ which lists products suitable for vegans.
•    Vitamin D3 – derived from the lanolin from sheeps' wool therefore only D3 which is guaranteed sourced from wool sheared from live sheep is considered acceptable.

•    Whey/Whey Powder – by product of cheese making, see Cheese Production
•    Wool – see Clothing
•    Worcester Sauce - most brands contain anchovies though vegetarian versions are available.

•    Yoghurts - some low fat yoghurts may contain gelatine.

Any questions regarding this information sheet please contact info@vegsoc.org | Last updated July 2010

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