Hidden Animal Ingredients
| Ingredient |
What It Is |
Its Use |
| Albumin |
The protein component of egg whites. Albumin is also found in animal blood, milk, plants, and seeds. |
To thicken or add texture to processed foods. |
| Animal shortening |
Butter, suet, lard (see lard below). |
Packaged cookies and crackers, refried beans, flour tortillas, ready-made pie crusts. |
| Carmine (carmine, cochineal, or carminic acid) |
Red coloring made from a ground-up insect. |
Bottled juices, colored pasta, some candies, frozen pops, "natural" cosmetics. |
| Calcium stearate |
Mineral typically derived from cows or hogs |
Garlic salt, vanilla, meat tenderizers, salad-dressing mixes. |
| Capric acid (decanoic acid) |
Animal fats |
added to ice cream, candy, baked goods, chewing gum, liquor and often not specified on ingredients lists. |
| Casein (caseinate) |
A milk protein. It coagulates with the addition of rennin (see rennin below) and is the foundation of cheese. |
An additive in dairy products such as cheese, cream cheese, cottage cheese, and sour cream. Also used in adhesives, paints, and plastics. |
| Clarifying agent |
Derived from any number of animal sources. |
Used to filter wine, vinegar, beer, fruit juice, soft drinks. |
| Gelatin |
Protein from bones, cartilage, tendons, and skin of animals, Much of the commercial gelatin is a by-product of pig skin. |
Marshmallows, yogurt, frosted cereals, gelatin-containing desserts, molded salads.. |
| Glucose (dextrose) |
Fruits or animal tissues and fluids. |
Baked goods, soft drinks, candies, frosting. |
| Glycerides (mono-, di-, and triglycerides |
Glycerol from animal fats or plants. |
Processed foods, cosmetics, perfumes, lotions, inks, glues, automobile antifreeze. Used as emulsifier. |
| Isinglass |
Gelatin from air bladder of sturgeon and other freshwater fish. |
Clarify alcoholic beverages and in some jellied desserts. Rarely used now. |
| Lactic acid |
Acid formed by bacteria acting on the milk sugar lactose. Imparts a tart flavor. |
Cheese, yogurt, pickles, olives, sauerkraut, candy, frozen desserts, chewing gum, fruit preserves, dyeing and textile printing |
| Lactose (saccharum lactin, D-lactose |
Milk sugar. |
Culture medium for souring milk and in processed foods such as baby formulas, candies and other sweets, medicinal diuretics, and laxatives. |
| Lactylic stearate |
Salt of stearic acid (see stearic acid below). |
Dough conditioner. |
| Lanolin |
Waxy fat from sheep's wool. |
Chewing gum, ointments, cosmetics, waterproof coatings. |
| Lard |
Rendered and clarified pork fat. Often fat from abdomens of pigs or the fat around the animal's kidneys. |
Baked goods. |
| Lecithin |
Phospholipids form animal tissues, plants, lentils, and egg yolks used to preserve, emulsify, and moisturize food. |
Cereal, candy, chocolate, baked goods, margarine, vegetable oil sprays, cosmetics, and ink. |
| Lutein |
Deep yellow coloring from marigolds or egg yolks. |
Commercial food coloring. |
| Myristic acid (tetradecanoic acid) |
Animal fats. |
Chocolate, ice cream, candy, jelled desserts, baked goods. |
| Natural flavorings |
Unspecified, could be from meat or other animal products |
Processed and packaged foods. |
| Oleic acid (oleinic acid) |
Animal tallow (see tallow below) |
Synthetic butter, cheese, vegetable fats and oils, spice flavoring for baked goods, candy, ice cream, beverages, condiments, soaps, cosmetics. |
| Palmatic acid |
Animal or vegetable fats. |
Baked goods, butter and cheese flavoring. |
| Pancreatin (pancreatic extract) |
Cows or hogs |
Digestive aids. |
| Pepsin |
Enzyme from pigs' stomachs |
With rennet to make cheese. |
| Propolis |
Resinous cement collected by bees |
Food supplement and ingredient in "natural" toothpaste. |
| Rennin (Rennet) |
A coagulating enzyme obtained from a young animal's stomach, usually a calf's stomach |
Rennin is used to curdle milk in foods such as cheese and junket--a soft pudding like dessert. |
| Royal jelly |
Substance produced by glands of bees. |
"Natural foods" and nutrient supplements. |
| Sodium stearoyl lactylate |
May be derived from cows, hogs, animal milk, or vegetable-mineral sources. |
Used in cake, pudding, or pancake mixes, baked goods, margarine. |
| Stearic acid (octadecenoic acid) |
Tallow, other animal fats and oils |
Vanilla flavoring, chewing gum, baked goods, beverages, candy, soaps, ointments, candles, cosmetics, suppositories and pill coatings. |
| Suet |
Hard white fat around kidneys and loins of animals |
Margarine, mincemeat, pastries, bird feed, tallow. |
| Tallow |
Solid fat of sheep and cattle separated from the membranous tissues |
Waxed paper, margarine, soaps, crayons, candles, rubber, cosmetics. |
| Vitamin A (A1, retinol) |
Vitamin obtained from vegetables, egg yolks, or fish liver oil. |
Vitamin supplements, fortification of foods, "natural" cosmetics. |
| Vitamin B12 |
Vitamin produced by microorganisms and found in all animal products;
B12 is also found in soybeans and other plant sources. |
Supplements or fortified foods. |
| Vitamin D (D1, D2, D3) |
D1 is produced by humans upon exposure to sunlight; D2 (ergocalciferol) is made from plants or yeast, D3 (cholecalciferol comes from fish liver oils or lanolin |
Supplements or fortified foods. |
| Whey |
Watery liquid that separates from the solids (curds) of milks in cheese-making. |
Crackers, breads, cakes, processed foods in cheese-making. |