Veganism has worked its way into the mainstream, with vegan eateries popping up all over the place, vegan-themed sexy Halloween costumes, and even Greggs getting on board.
After all, eschewing both factory farming and animal cruelty has both a moral appeal and a beneficial impact on the environment, so what’s not to love?
There are however some foods out there which you might not realise aren’t vegan, just lying in wait to trip up any well-intended person out there trying to limit their diet to things free of animal products.
For example, honey – which is made by bees – is not vegan because according to The Vegan Society, the bees’ health can be put at risk when humans harvest it.
With that, and the fact that it’s World Vegan Day in mind, here’s a quick look at some foods which you might be surprised to learn aren’t vegan.
Oreos
Sadly we’ve got to cross one of the world’s greatest cookies off the list right off the bat, as Oreo themselves state on their website: ‘Oreo have milk as cross contact and therefore they are not suitable for vegans.’
Avocados
Avocados also can’t exist without bees, and, as QI host Sandi Toksvig said in a previous episode of the show: ‘Because they are so difficult to cultivate naturally, all of these crops rely on bees which are placed on the back of trucks and taken very long distances across the country.
‘It’s migratory beekeeping and it’s unnatural use of animals and there are lots of foods that fall foul of this. Broccoli is a good example. Cherries, cucumbers, lettuce. Lots and lots of vegan things are actually not strictly vegan.’
Figs
Figs are another food which, if you count bugs as aminals, aren’t strictly vegan because wasps, which pollinate figs, can become trapped inside the plant and broken down into protein.
In fact, for a fig to be edible, it needs to have at least one dead and broken down female wasp in it. Let that sink in.
Bananas
If your bananas have been sprayed to keep them fresher for longer, then that spray probably includes chitosan, which is made from shrimp and crab shells.
Worcestershire Sauce
Worcestershire sauce includes anchovies in its list of ingredients and thus isn’t vegan.
However, if you want to enjoy any of that tangy goodness, there are vegan options out there as well as recipes to show you how to make your own.
Some types of sweets
New vegans had better get into the habit of checking the ingredients on their sweet wrappers because lots of gummy sweets and marshmallows include gelatin, which is derived from collagen taken from animal body parts.
Some types of alcohol
Certain types of wine and beer are clarified using animal by-products, such as gelatin, bone marrow and fish bladders.
Once you shake that image out of your head, there’s a handy tool which can help you find out if your chosen brand of tipple is vegan or not.
MORE: The Grand Tour’s James May ditches meat for World Vegan Day
MORE: What does Greggs sell that is vegan or vegetarian?
source https://metro.co.uk/2019/11/01/can-vegans-eat-honey-7-foods-actually-not-vegan-11024482/
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