Sugar

Shoplifters

Anyone who's viewed any of my other threads would realise I'm fairly new to being vegan. I'm having a little trouble differentiating from what products are vegan and what products are not (obviously not with the most blatent!).

I've researched alot and am eating mostly fresh produce anyway, but certain sauces and frozen foods I'm unsure about. For example, Linda McCartney pies say they are vegan friendly, but in the ingredients sugar is mentioned (in the sauce I think). Also, I had a bit of a flu recently (yes, don't worry, I'm fine now thanks for your concern) and I was looking at Halls soothers. They list sugar also, but when I did a little research it says that they're vegan.

I know there are different types of sugar, but how can I tell if it's vegan when I'm reading ingredients that just say "sugar"?

Sorry if this comes across as a ridiculous question, I just want to be sure.

Any pointers appreciated.

syncosised

As far as I know, when cane sugar is refined with animal byproducts, none of these end up in the final product so it can still technically be vegan. I'm not vegan, but I think if you start worrying about the sugar in products like this it'll drive you mad and you'll hate being vegan. My advice is to pick your battles!

RussellTuring

Agree with the previous post. I've been a vegan for a few months now and avoid animal products of any kind as far as possible and practical. If I were sick and could only get well by taking medicine that may have been derived from or contain material from animals, I would take it. Remember that it is a personal decision though and you should live your life however makes you feel comfortable.

That said, no matter how careful you are, you are fairly likely to slip-up at least once in your life so don't worry about it too much or you'll go mad. Anyway, ingredients usually won't specify the source of the sugar since they're more or less identical in every way. Fortunately, most sugar in this part of the world is from sugar beets and not cane, and even so, not all cane is processed the nasty way. Hope this helps.

rubadub

syncosised wrote: »

As far as I know, when cane sugar is refined with animal byproducts, none of these end up in the final product so it can still technically be vegan.

Is that not technically vegtarian? Depends on your definition of vegan I suppose, but I understand "vegan cosmetics" not to be tested on animals, while may contain none.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veganism

There is disagreement among groups regarding the extent to which all animal products must be avoided. According to the Vegan Society, vegan products must, as far as possible and practical, be entirely free of animal involvement, and their development and manufacture must not have involved animal testing.[11] The society will not certify a product as vegan unless its production has not involved the use of any animal derivative.

So the sugar might have "involved" the use.

RussellTuring wrote: »

Fortunately, most sugar in this part of the world is from sugar beets and not cane, and even so, not all cane is processed the nasty way.

Sugar beet is no longer grown on any scale in Ireland, stopped in 2006, not sure if other countries still grow it to supply here though. It was uneconomically viable to grow beet here as cane is cheaper AFAIK.

NecroSteve

Some sugar is processed with bone charcoal, and some isn't. You usually need to ask the manufacturers, although sometimes a company will contract out their processing and might not know either way. It's like the whole alcohol fining thing. Sometimes crushed seashells, egg white or fish gelatin (isinglass) are used.

sweet-rasmus

I remember learning this quite some time ago and being quite alarmed at the thought. I contacted Siúcra and learnt that their sugar was fine. Their packets of sugar currently say

"Suitable for vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, low-fat and low salt diets. GMO-free."

I have it in my mind that using bone char to refine sugar is more common in America, but I can't remember where I learnt this. It was a good few years ago when I looked into it all.

As previous posters have said, you have to draw a line somewhere. As it is, you are doing yourself and the planet a whole lot of good being vegan. Tracing the origin and production process of every bit of sugar you'd eat from now on would be near impossible, unless you went on a really boring diet