Surprising things you thought were vegan - but will make you think twice!

If you’re among the increasing number of vegan-curious people, you’re starting your plant-based journey or you’re thinking about making a plant-based pledge next Veganuary, there’s a lot to think about. Knowing what you can and can’t eat is tricky, and many of us have spent many an hour reading labels in food shops. Whether you’re new to the concept of only eating plants or you’ve been dabbling for years, it's still a learning curve.

It’s difficult, because it isn’t just a case of avoiding meat, fish, dairy and eggs. There are some foods and everyday items that aren’t suitable for vegans, so let’s take a look in more detail at the things you might mistake for being vegan-friendly. 

Foods you might think are vegan, but aren’t 

Supermarkets and restaurants are full of non-vegan foods, just waiting to catch you out. Trust me, you’re about to become a label-reading, menu-scanning pro.

Honey

Honey is often missed when avoiding everything animal-based. But as it’s made by bees, it’s not considered plant-based. Bees don’t make honey for our toast; they need it to survive! Sweeten the deal with agave, maple, date, rice or golden syrups instead. 

Sauces and condiments 

Be on the lookout for cooking and table sauces and condiments that contain eggs, milk and fish. You don’t want to make the perfect vegan meal, then fall at the final hurdle by adding a dash of standard Worcestershire sauce (anchovies) or a dollop of tartare sauce or mayo (eggs). Some vegan alternatives exist, and The Ethical Superstore is a great place to get inspired. 

Beer and wine 

Alcohol is another one to be wary of. Many beers and wines are filtered using animal-derived products as a fining agent to make the drink clearer. These fining agents include isinglass (made from fish bladders), milk proteins, gelatin (made from boiled animal bones, usually cows) and bone marrow.

Many supermarkets now add a vegan-friendly sign to the price label on the shelf, rather than the bottle. If you’re handed a bottle or you’re in a bar, it can be tricky to know if your drink is vegan. If in doubt, use Barnivore, which has a database of 60,000+ beers, wines and spirits. Search for a specific drink, and it’ll tell you if it’s vegan-friendly. 

Vitamin supplements 

Certain vitamin supplements aren’t suitable for vegans - watch out for capsules made from beef gelatin. Omega 3 supplements are often made from fish oils, so look for omega 3 from algae instead. Vitamin D supplements can also be made using animal products - this time, lanolin from sheep. Thankfully, most health food stores clearly label vegan-friendly vitamin supplements. 

Red Foods 

Finally, red food dyes are often made using cochineal, derived from crushed female cochineal beetles. Cochineal can also be listed as carmine. You’ll find it lurking in many brands of tortilla chips and in red sweets. Jelly sweets and desserts also often contain gelatin, which is made from boiling up animal bones and skin. 

Are avocados vegan, and other plant-based predicaments 

You may have been witness to a Twitter storm (a while back, before it became X) after QI presenter, Sandi Toksvig, said that avocados aren’t vegan. Vegans, the length and breadth of the country, were outraged at such a staple plant-based food being branded non-vegan. 

Also brought into the debate were almonds, cucumbers, broccoli and butternut squash. The question mark over these foods is all down to something called migratory beekeeping. This describes the process of taking hives full of bees and transporting them long distances to where they’re needed to pollinate these crops. This, Sandi argued, is unnatural and “involves humans interfering with animal behaviour”. 

Thankfully, The Vegan Society disagrees. Spokesperson, Dominika Piasecka, made The Vegan Society’s stance on things clear, saying, 

“Vegans avoid using animals as far as possible and practicable. We are aware that many forms of farming involve indirect harm to animals. However, we do not consider that just because it is not possible to avoid 100% of animal cruelty, suffering and exploitation, that we should not bother at all. Vegans make a huge contribution to the reduction in suffering and death caused to animals. We welcome any changes made to farming practices that support this."

I couldn’t agree more! To think that moving bees to a new home for them to do what comes so naturally makes a food non-vegan is pure nonsense. As long as they’re moved responsibly, of course. 

Figs, on the other hand, are a grey area. Female wasps lay their eggs inside young figs and are often unable to escape from the fruit. They then decompose inside the growing fig. Figs contain an enzyme which breaks down the wasp, but I guess, technically, it makes figs non-vegan. 

When we think of the number of insects that must perish in the picking and transportation of fruit and veg, though, perhaps figs still make the v-grade. 

Being vegan - it’s not just about what you eat

There are many other things to consider when going vegan, including what you wear. Leather, wool, silk, pearls, cashmere, angora and fur are all derived from animals. Thankfully, there’s still cotton, denim, linen, hemp, bamboo fabrics and everyone’s nan’s favourite, polyester, which are all vegan-friendly. 

What you sleep on doesn’t escape either. Duvets filled with feathers and down aren’t strictly vegan. Neither are beeswax candles nor condoms containing latex (which contains casein, a milk protein). Skin products containing lanolin aren’t suitable, as lanolin is an oily substance taken from the skin and wool of sheep. 

You may already have clothes and other items made from animal-derived materials. It’s not logical to change your entire home to a cruelty-free one, all in one go. It also goes against the environmental principles of veganism to just chuck everything away. Doing so would also mean taking or disturbing the life of an animal unnecessarily. 

Instead, if you decide that veganism is for you, make a conscious decision not to wear or buy products made from these materials again. If the thought of wearing your leather hot pants ever again brings you out in a rash (for more reasons than one), you could donate them to charity. And choose pleather next time you go raving. 

Vegan vs plant-based 

There is a difference between being vegan and being plant-based. Being vegan means avoiding all animal products completely, including everything you eat, buy and use. Being plant-based means following a plant-based diet and not eating anything animal-derived - everything else is then up to you, including the leather hot pants. 

Personally, since taking part in Veganuary 2016, I’ve been pretty much plant-based. I still occasionally wear a faithful woolly jumper or carry a beaten-up leather bag, but they were bought before I went plant-based. I’ve now made the decision not to buy non-vegan items again, but it doesn’t stop me from wearing and using what I already have. 

We’re fortunate to have a choice, and it’s a choice I fully embrace. Deciding to go vegan for a month almost a decade ago was a learning curve. It opened my eyes and made me question my own ethical credentials. There’s always going to be those who will try to make you question your beliefs and trip you up with another avocado-gate. But when you know better, you do better. Arm yourself with plenty of information, or show them this article, and don’t doubt yourself. 

Don’t punish yourself for unintentionally (or intentionally) making mistakes either. Each vegan meal you eat has an impact. Be proud of yourself.