Products you had no idea were NOT vegetarian!!

[Veggiemama]

When I first became vegetarian I was lucky enough to find a thread like this on the other board. Had it not been for the foods I found listed there I probably would have, unknowingly, spent years eating products I had no clue contained ingredients that were NOT vegetarian. I thought we could all list some things for the newbs. Peace and Love!!

 

[Veggiemama]

Marshmallows (who knew bacon bits were vegetarian but marshmallows werent? So weird.)
Jello
Frosted pop tarts
Gummy bears/worms
Most yogurts
Golf fish crackers- micro beef enzymes :spew:
cream cheese

...just a few to get us started

 

[mlp]

Early on, I remember being on a road trip and getting some Hostess product out of a rest stop vending machine. I was idly reading the ingredient list while the others were using the restrooms, and saw "beef fat."

I think the big ingredients that most people don't think about at first are rennet in cheeses, for the ovo-lacto vegetarians, and gelatin, which is in so many foods, from candy to many desserts to yogurt. And animal fat used in flavoring and/or frying in so many fast foods and packaged convenience foods.

 

[Rosie1]

I like this thread already!
Here are some:
-Beer and wine. Some(most?) contain isinglass, which is from a fish

-White sugar, usually made with bone char

-Red candy. I had to look this one up again, "Red candies – and, as a matter of fact, practically anything that’s colored red – often contain red pigments extracted from the female Dactylopius coccus costa, or cochineal insect. Red bug dye is typically listed as cochineal, carminic acid or carmine in the ingredients, and it’s more pervasive than you might think, found in things like wine, vinegar, juice and colored pasta. Many candies are also coated with shellac, a resin excreted by the lac bug, which is usually listed as ‘confectioner’s glaze’."

-I think places like Taco Bell, they have gelatin in their sour cream.

-And that also makes me think of refried beans. Always check before buying some or ordering them - lots of them have lard.

Maybe we could have a sister thread for surprising things that are vegetarian/vegan (like oreos! )

 

[AeryFairy]

Parmesan, and some other cheeses.

 

[Veggiemama]

Be careful when a restaurant lists a soup as vegetarian. Unless its a chain restaurant the soup COULD be made with chicken or beef stock. Chain restaurants usually have very strict guidelines but mom and pop cafes and restaurants are not as careful. Always be sure to check what type of stock they use. Just because a veggie or minestrone soup doesn't have any meat in it does NOT mean its vegetarian.

 

[AeryFairy]

Some of these depend on where you are in the world... AFAIK, in the uk bone char isn't an issue, and soups and yogurts are usually veg-friendly. The thing that annoys me about soups is the cream

 

[AlmandineSky]

French fries. I learned it with McDonalds because here in the US they contain beef extract even though they are fried in vegetable oil. But if I remember right in the UK they are vegan?

I've seen frozen french fries and tater tots at the grocery store with beef fat. I didn't realize that until I almost bought a bag right after going vegetarian and remembered McDonalds and checked the ingredients.

 

[AddieB]

Golf fish crackers- micro beef enzymes :spew:

Really? I didn't know that... Good thing I already don't eat them!!

 

[thefadedone]

Although most of these have already been mentioned, here's a link to the 12 most common non veg foods:http://webecoist.momtastic.com/2011/05/09/12-seemingly-vegan-vegetarian-foods-that-really-arent/

 

[shyvas]

Parmesan cheese.

Neither does the LAX catering for airline meals know this !

 

[lucky_charm]

Back when I was vegetarian I didn't realise that nutella and Oreos (UK) werent vegetarian.

 

[FortyTwo]

This is more of a vegan issue, but most Kashi cereals.

 

[Jocelyn1]

When I first became vegetarian two years ago, I had no idea Caesar salad dressing had anchovies in it.

 

[I Heart Corey Haim!!]

way way way back i didnt realize there was beef in planters peanuts.

peace, love & holistic healing

 

[thefadedone]

When I first became vegetarian two years ago, I had no idea Caesar salad dressing had anchovies in it.

Yeah I had no clue for the longest time either, luckily I never ate the stuff. I was never a fan of Caesar salads or Caesar dressing.

 

[Veggiemama]

When I first became vegetarian two years ago, I had no idea Caesar salad dressing had anchovies in it.

I miss ceased salad SO much!!

 

[hungryraccoon]

When I first became vegetarian two years ago, I had no idea Caesar salad dressing had anchovies in it.

I didn't even know that until now! Luckily don't like it anyway.

 

[K-II]

I dunno if there's some specific brand that's the 'official' caesar dressing but I've never seen that on ingredients lists.

Sugar confuses me. It doesn't apply here as far as I know (apparently they use 'lime'? Probably the caustic horrible stuff I used to get all over me mixing cement lol) but that bone char stuff isn't even in it in the end, is it? I thought it was like a filter or something weird like that, not an ingredient.

re: the fish stuff in wine. I actually emailed a place once when I found the address on a bottle of wine, asking if it was made with that stuff, and they were like 'um... what?'. The person who answers emails might not even know about it I guess, or only certain places do it, or I don't even know - maybe it's an outdated procedure or something? YMMV. Could always try contacting a few at random and seeing if any can tell you.

 

[Destiny7777]

I like this thread already!

-White sugar, usually made with bone char

I too like this thread,
but I have no idea about this.
Please educate me.
Is this true of "pure cane sugar"
as well as sugarbeet 'sugar'?