NOT ALL SUGAR IS SWEET
Though it does not contain any animal products, much of the white sugar sold in the United States is, in fact, not vegan. It is processed using animal bones. Bone char, or bone black as it is sometimes called, is used to filter natural cane sugar so that the final product is white. Liquefied sugar is passed through giant filters containing the charred bones of cows which capture the elements of natural cane sugar that would otherwise make the sugar much darker.
Though the sugar comes into contact with the bones, no bones make it into the final product and some argue that it is therefore vegan. Yet this misses the point of being vegan for ethical reasons, which is not to be “pure” but to avoid creating a demand for products which harm animals; in this case, the filters filled with cow bones that are periodically replaced at the sugar refinery.
But never fear! Avoiding non-vegan sugar does not mean you must eschew sugar entirely. After all, if that were true, how could As Sweet As Can Be exist? Some brands of sugar are not processed using bones. Sugars made of sugar beets, any sugar labeled as “organic,” and evaporated cane juice are vegan, as are turbinado, demerara, and muscovado sugars. For a complete list of which brands of granulated white, brown and confectioners sugar sold in the U.S. are vegan, click here (scroll to bottom for list).
Though the sugar comes into contact with the bones, no bones make it into the final product and some argue that it is therefore vegan. Yet this misses the point of being vegan for ethical reasons, which is not to be “pure” but to avoid creating a demand for products which harm animals; in this case, the filters filled with cow bones that are periodically replaced at the sugar refinery.
But never fear! Avoiding non-vegan sugar does not mean you must eschew sugar entirely. After all, if that were true, how could As Sweet As Can Be exist? Some brands of sugar are not processed using bones. Sugars made of sugar beets, any sugar labeled as “organic,” and evaporated cane juice are vegan, as are turbinado, demerara, and muscovado sugars. For a complete list of which brands of granulated white, brown and confectioners sugar sold in the U.S. are vegan, click here (scroll to bottom for list).
