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I always laugh a little when packaging says "Vegan & Plant-Based" (lemmy.world)

submitted 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) by TheTechnician27@lemmy.world to c/vegan@lemmy.world

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The back of a package of Upton's chorizo seitan says "vegan & plant-based". I've talked with a couple people about this before: plant-based isn't inherently vegan, but there are only a very select few implausible ways to get food that's (varying degrees of debatably) vegan and not plant-based. We're talking, like, accidental roadkill, a hamburger you found in the trash, an animal killed in a dire survival situation... (Edit: Okay, I guess pure salt as a meal also applies.)

So Upton's, I'm really glad you reassured me that it's both.

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[-] TheTechnician27@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

No, the calcium phosphate is a leavening agent. The bone char doesn't make it into the final product. Oreos use cane sugar which is (sometimes, not always, depending on the sugar supplier) filtered through bone char – charred animal bones. Most vegans would probably be more worried about the palm oil, but "dead animal parts were directly used in making this" isn't helping Oreos' case.

I avoid Oreos for my health and for the palm oil issue, and I feel better knowing I'm avoiding the bone char too. However, the bone char problem is a lot less tractable generally because, well... you basically can't avoid it outside the things you cook.

[-] GreatWhite_Shark_EarthAndBeingsRightsPerson@piefed.social 1 points 3 weeks ago

That reddit post is confusing,

So only in The USA is using bone char a part of the sugar process? So if it is labelled Organic, then bone char was not used in the sugar process? How does that make sense? Bone Char is not organic? So contact sugar manufacturers to find out facilities that does not use bone char & “ check the production code / facility” on the packaging for those facilities’ numbers, before deciding on sugar to buy?

Do all the sugars’ processing require bone char? Like Cane or Agave Or liquid?

Of course though that is all sugars NOT in or mixed with another product or ingredient. Sugars & salts are everywhere.

[-] setsubyou@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago

It’s not really a USA thing as such, it’s because cane sugar is more common in the US while e.g. Europe primarily uses beet sugar. Beet sugar is lighter and needs less refining to make it white, so bone char is basically never used for beet sugar. The same applies to Agave too. And to HFCS.

For liquid sugar it depends on what sugar it was made from, it can be made from cane sugar but also from beet sugar.

Organic sugar doesn’t use bone char in the US because USDA doesn’t allow animal derived processing aids for organic products.

this post was submitted on 19 Jan 2026

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