Vegan label-reading guides
Evidence-based answers to the questions every label-reader ends up googling (E-numbers, hidden animal ingredients, rennet, finings) and how to check any product in seconds instead.
Latest label and ingredient guides
May Contain Milk: Vegan Meaning vs Allergy Warnings
Precautionary wording signals possible cross-contact, not a recipe ingredient. Allergy safety remains a separate decision.
Read the guide → New · AdditivesAre E627, E631 and E635 Vegan?
The codes identify three flavour enhancers, but not their raw-material source. Learn what evidence settles the answer.
Read the guide → New · AdditivesIs Xanthan Gum (E415) Vegan? Yes, and Vegetarian
Official specifications describe bacterial fermentation of carbohydrate. See what that means for an E415 label.
Read the guide → New · IngredientsIs Yeast Vegan? Baker’s, Brewer’s and Nooch
Yes. Compare active, deactivated, fortified and extract forms, plus the finished products that still need checking.
Read the guide →Start here
How to Check if Food Is Vegan (Complete Guide)
The complete method: vegan logos, the allergen-line shortcut, hidden ingredients, ambiguous additives, plus the 5-second scanner shortcut.
Read the guide → Start hereHow to Read Food Labels as a Vegan: A Field Guide
Allergen lines, "may contain" warnings, vegan certification logos and the traps in between.
Read the guide → ToolVegan Ingredient Checker: How to Analyze Any Ingredient List
Three ways to check any ingredient list: read it with a cheat sheet, type it in, or photograph it with your camera.
Read the guide →Additives & E-numbers
Is E471 (INS 471) Vegan or Vegetarian? Source Checks
E471 may come from plant oils or animal fats. Learn what the label proves, when certification settles it and when the source remains unknown.
Read the guide → PillarE-Numbers That Are Not Vegan: The Complete Checker List
Compare animal-derived, source-dependent and generally vegan additives in three scannable tables. This is not an allergy-safety test.
Read the guide → AdditivesIs MSG (E621) Vegan or Vegetarian?
MSG itself is vegan. Learn why E627, E631 and E635 need separate source checks instead of inheriting E621's verdict.
Read the guide → AdditivesIs E120 (Carmine) Vegan? The Red Dye Made from Insects
The red color in candy and yogurt that comes from cochineal insects, and how to spot it.
Read the guide → AdditivesIs E322 (INS 322) Vegan or Vegetarian? Lecithin Guide
Usually vegan and always vegetarian. How to distinguish soy, sunflower and egg lecithin on a label.
Read the guide → AdditivesIs E422 (INS 422) Vegan or Vegetarian? Glycerin Guide
EU food-grade glycerol is plant-derived; elsewhere, learn when the label still leaves the source uncertain.
Read the guide → AdditivesIs Shellac (E904) Vegan? The Ingredient Behind Shiny Candy
A resin secreted by the lac insect, hiding on labels as confectioner's glaze.
Read the guide → AdditivesIs Beeswax (E901) Vegan? Food Glazes Explained
E901 comes from honeybee comb. Learn where the glaze hides, why it can be vegetarian but not vegan, and which plant waxes replace it.
Read the guide → AdditivesIs Lactic Acid Vegan? Why the Name Is Misleading
E270 sounds like dairy and isn't. The one lact- ingredient worth checking instead.
Read the guide →Hidden ingredients & foods
Is Rennet Vegetarian? Lamb Rennet & Parmesan Explained
Animal rennet is not vegetarian. Learn which protected cheeses require it, which alternatives are vegetarian and what the label may leave unsaid.
Read the guide → AdditivesIs L-Cysteine (E920) Vegan? Sources Explained
E920 may start with animal keratin or plant-sugar fermentation. The label gives the name, but not the production route.
Read the guide → SupplementsIs Collagen Vegan? Marine, Bovine & Vegan Options
True collagen is animal protein. See how marine, bovine, collagen peptides, builders and recombinant products differ.
Read the guide → FoodsIs Gelatin Vegan or Vegetarian? E441 and INS 428
Never vegan and never vegetarian. Its aliases, the foods it hides in, and the plant gelling agents that replace it.
Read the guide → SupplementsIs Vitamin D3 Vegan? Lanolin vs Lichen
Most D3 comes from sheep wool. Lichen D3 does not. How to tell which one is in your supplement.
Read the guide → Label readingHidden Animal Ingredients in Food: The Complete List
Casein, L-cysteine, shellac, isinglass, carmine: the full reference list of animal ingredients hiding in plain sight.
Read the guide → DrinksIs Wine Vegan? Fining Agents and How to Check
Compare animal and vegan finings, unfined versus unfiltered, and the questions that help verify a particular bottle.
Read the guide → DrinksIs Isinglass Vegan? Fish Finings in Beer and Wine
The fish-collagen processing aid that can clarify a drink without ever appearing on its ingredient label.
Read the guide → FoodsIs Honey Vegan? The Complete Answer
The mainstream vegan position on honey, where it hides in packaged food, and the sweeteners that are always vegan.
Read the guide → FoodsIs Bread Vegan? L-Cysteine, Milk and E471 Explained
Most bread is vegan, but L-cysteine, milk powder and mono-/diglycerides catch people out. A bread-by-bread guide.
Read the guide →Or skip the memorizing entirely
VeganCheckr checks every ingredient and additive for you. Scan a barcode or photograph the label and get a verdict with evidence in seconds. Free to download on the App Store and Google Play. Optional Premium features vary by platform.
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