Library
Everything to read on PlantsPack in one place - sourced answers and reference, plus opinion and essays from our team. We keep the two clearly apart.
Is it vegan? - Answers
All answersIs cheese vegan?
No. Cheese is made from milk, so all dairy cheese is non-vegan - and most hard cheeses also use animal rennet.
Is chocolate vegan?
Dark chocolate often yes, milk chocolate no, white chocolate no - unless explicitly labelled vegan.
Is bread vegan?
Most plain bread is vegan, but watch for milk, butter, eggs, honey, and animal-derived dough conditioners (E920, E471).
Is gelatin vegan?
No. Gelatin is made from boiled animal bones, skin and connective tissue (usually pig or cow). It is never vegan.
Are eggs vegan?
No. Eggs are animal products, so the mainstream vegan position is that eggs are not vegan, regardless of how the hens were raised.
Is sugar vegan?
Yes, but some refined cane sugar in the US is filtered through bone char.
Is honey vegan?
No, by the mainstream vegan definition. Honey is produced by bees, who are animals.
Is palm oil vegan?
Technically yes — it is plant-derived. Ethically complicated because of deforestation and orangutan/elephant habitat loss.
Is wine vegan?
Sometimes. The grapes are vegan; the fining step often is not.
Is beer vegan?
Sometimes. The ingredients are vegan; the clarifying process often is not.
Guides & reference
How do vegans get protein?
Easily. Most adults need about 0.8g protein per kg of bodyweight, and a varied plant-based diet hits that comfortably from beans, tofu, tempeh, seitan, lentils, quinoa, and whole grains.
Are vitamins vegan? B12, D3, omega-3 and the hidden ones
The molecules themselves are usually fine — the capsule shells, the D3 source, and the omega-3 source are where most vitamins fail.
Vegan vs vegetarian: what is the actual difference?
Vegetarians do not eat meat or fish. Vegans also exclude eggs, dairy, honey, and other animal products. Vegan is the stricter category.
Which E-numbers are vegan?
Most E-numbers are vegan, but a handful are always or sometimes animal-derived. The big ones to know: E120 carmine, E441 gelatine, E542 bone phosphate, E901 beeswax, E904 shellac, E920 L-cysteine, E966 lactitol, E1105 lysozyme.
Eating vegan in the UK
The UK is one of the easiest countries in the world to eat vegan. Supermarket own-brand vegan ranges (Tesco Wicked Kitchen, Sainsbury's Plant Pioneers, M&S Plant Kitchen, Asda Plant-Based, Waitrose) are huge. Most high-street chains have dedicated vegan menus, and there are clusters of fully-vegan places in London, Brighton, Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. The traps are traditional pub food: fish & chips fried in beef dripping, Sunday roasts, and cask ales filtered with isinglass.
Eating vegan in Germany
Germany is the easiest country in Europe to eat vegan, full stop. Berlin alone has hundreds of dedicated vegan restaurants, every major supermarket (Rewe, Edeka, Lidl, Aldi, Kaufland) carries a serious V-Label range, and "pflanzlich" (plant-based) labelling is reliable. The traditional Bavarian dish scene is the only place you need to plan, and even there a Kaufland is usually nearby.
Eating vegan in Italy
Italy is genuinely vegan-friendly if you know what to ask. Most pizza dough, dry pasta, beans, and antipasti are vegan. The hidden traps are parmesan in places you would not expect (risotto, pasta water, soup), anchovies in puttanesca and some salads, lard in some breads, and egg in fresh pasta. The phrase "senza formaggio, senza burro, senza uova" (without cheese, butter, eggs) gets you most of the way.
Eating vegan in Greece
Greece is much easier than expected for vegans because of nistisimo - the Orthodox Christian fasting cuisine that excludes all animal products including dairy and eggs for ~180 days a year. Traditional lathera (vegetables cooked in olive oil), legume stews, fava, dolmades, and many starters are vegan by tradition. The phrase to know: "Eimai vegan, nistevo" (I am vegan, I fast).
Eating vegan in Japan
Japan has a strong vegan scene in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka but limited outside them. The hidden ingredient that catches travellers most often is dashi - fish/bonito stock - which is in miso soup, ramen broth, most simmered dishes, and even some "vegetable" tempura batters. Learn one phrase and you are set: "Dashi nuki de onegaishimasu" (without dashi, please).
Eating vegan in Thailand
Thai cuisine has tons of plant-based dishes by tradition (jay food is Buddhist vegan, more strict than Western vegan). The hidden ingredient is fish sauce (nam pla) which is in almost every savoury Thai dish - plus oyster sauce, shrimp paste, and sometimes egg. The phrase "gin jay" (กินเจ) gets you strict vegan food at any Thai restaurant; "mai sai nam pla" (no fish sauce) handles the rest.