#bone char

[acti-veg]

idk where ur from but I'm from the usa and you know what sucks here? Bone char in sugar! I found out and now avoid stuff with sugar now, cus the idea that it could have filtered in bones is so messed up >:(

There isn’t bone char in sugar exactly, it’s just they use bone char to decolourise sugar as part of the production process. That isn’t much better, but bone char as a processing aid is not permitted in USDA 100% certified organic cane sugar, and beet sugar doesn’t use it either so you can look out for that. If in doubt, contact the manufacturer.

I’m in the UK and this isn’t really a thing here, but the big problem if you’re in the US is that that you don’t know what kind of sugar is added to the snacks you buy. Vegan certified products won’t use it; but ‘accidentally’ vegan snacks are more of a problem - you’ll have to decide for yourself how much you can do to avoid that. If it’s any consolation, this process is slowly being phased out in favour of alternative methods.

[necessaryveganism]

What's your personal stance on sugar, vinegar and apple juice?

There’s not really a personal stance on goods as stand-alone products, so I’m going to answer as though this were asking whether or not these items are vegan (which in a way is a personal stance, for obviously vegan items will have the seal of approval). 

Sugar obviously runs into its problems when we are talking about commercially refined sugar, which is sometimes processed using bone char. Not all refined sugars do use a bone-char filter in the refining process, but if you’re wondering whether or not your personal brand is vegan or not, here is a list of the vegan brands. As for sugars added into other products, this will rely on the company that the brand sources the sugar from. There’s nothing inherently wrong with sugar as a product, just the refining process for some of the large commercial brands, particularly in the United States. 

As for vinegar and apple juice, once again, it’s the refining process that calls the veganism of the product into question. The process of isinglass, or the use of a fish’s swim bladder to add clarity and refine liquids, particularly beverages, is not vegan. Therefore, many of the commercially available goods, including beer, wine, juices, and yes, even some vinegars, are not vegan. Once again, these are brand-dependent practices. There are online resources, including exhaustive lists, that state which brands and products use isinglass to refine their products. There is nothing wrong with these products on their own, as long as they are vegan, and have not been filtered using isinglass. 

And just because this ask didn’t particularly specify if this was about whether or not the products are vegan, I think sugar and apple juice are absolutely delicious (particularly when mixed with other things), and vinegar definitely helps with cleaning and cooking. My stance is, therefore, that all of these are firm positives! (as long as they’re vegan, of course)

-Admin Samantha 

[acti-veg]

Hello! I've heard/read many times that making white sugar requires the use of bone char. Is it true?

White sugar in the US is often filtered through bone char, but plenty of brands aren’t. You can find a good list here.

[acti-veg]

Hey mate do you have advice or info about sugar? I’m a newbie so I’m kind of worried about sugar being refined with bone char. I mostly don’t use it but some stuff I buy like jam has it.

If you’re anywhere in the EU (including the UK) then this is a non-issue as it doesn’t happen here. If you’re in the US or Canada then it’s a problem because companies don’t have to declare whether their sugar is refined with bone char as it’s considered a production process as opposed to an ingredient. In things like jam you will never really know what kind of sugar has been used unless they tell you on their website. You can google the brand and can often find out that way, but it’s not something you’ll ever be 100% sure of or can avoid all the time.

Veganism is about avoiding animal exploitation whenever practicable, so when it’s practicable to avoid bone char processed sugar then you should, but it’s not going to be something you can always do dependent on where you are. Do your best but don’t beat yourself up if you can’t avoid it, the mere fact that you’re a new vegan asking this question tells me you’re being careful about it and doing your research properly, which is really a great start.

[acti-veg]

So sugar is made white by using bones in some process or whatever. Does that mean products with sugar added aren't vegan, or do products like that use normal, not white sugar? I only ask because I'm addicted to soda and don't know how the heck I would be able to give that up

White sugar is often filtered through bone char, but this is really only an issue with products made in the US. As for which products feature sugar filtered with bone char and which ones dont, unless the company in question chooses to clarify this themselves then there is really no way to know. Since char filtering is a production process rather an ingredient they aren’t requied to declare it on the packaging. When you’re buying your own sugar it’s easy to find out which ones filter and which ones don’t, but with pre-packaged items it’s usually not possible to know. I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect everyone to avoid all sugar in all products though, that just wouldn’t be accessible, so I wouldn’t call anyone less vegan for it.

[acti-veg]

Hello there! I was wondering, what's with salt, brown sugar and other spices? Are they vegan? I've read some vague stuff about it?? Your blog is lovely and has helped me so much! Thank you for your effort running it<3 have an awesome day! xx

There is no issue with salt or any spice that i’m aware of. Processed sugar can be an issue in some countries, the U.S most of all. While sugar is never animal derived, it can be filtered through bone char. You should do your best with this, but since companies have no legal obligation to declare when this takes place, it can be extremely difficult to avoid. Since processed sugars are often present in the cheapest and most accessible ready made foods, I think it is too much to expect vegans to avoid all processed sugar just in case.

[chickenbonechina]

"Preparation of bone char in ceramic kilns as used in the northern part of Thailand is normally a calcination rather than a charring process. This laboratory study shows that firing the cleaned bones up to 500°C and then gradually opening the kiln gate and letting it cool down results in bone char of a good quality and a with maximum fluoride removal efficiency of 91.8 %. "

http://www.de-fluoride.net/2ndproceedings/90-93.pdf