Raw Diet Sugar: Vegan Or Not?

Is sugar really vegan? It's a question that's sparked intense debate for years. While sugar may seem like an entirely plant-based food, some brands use animal ingredients in its production. Refined and table sugar is obviously plant-based and free from animal products in many countries. However, in the US, bone char is often used in the production of sugar. Bone char is a decolonizing filter agent made from the bones of farmed cows, and it's used to help sugar achieve a white colour. This means that some people do not consider refined sugar to be vegan. However, it's important to note that no cow products end up in the sugar, and the Vegan Society and PETA have stated that it's not practical to avoid consuming sugar that may have been produced with bone char.

Is sugar always vegan in the UK?

In the UK, most sugar is vegan. The country's three sugar producers, Tate & Lyle, British Sugar (including the brand Silver Spoon), and Ragus Sugars, do not use bone char for processing. This means that all granulated and caster sugar in the UK is suitable for vegans, except for sugar imported from the US.

However, icing sugar is often not vegan as it uses dried egg whites. Royal icing sugar, in particular, is made with egg white powder. Fondant icing sugar and icing sugar may also contain egg due to cross-contamination.

Other types of sugar that are vegan include brown sugar, coconut sugar, date sugar, agave nectar, maple syrup, and golden syrup. Organic sugar is always vegan, even in the US.

What is bone char?

Bone char, also known as carbo animalis in Latin, is a granular material produced by charring animal bones. It is typically made from cattle and pig bones, although other sources also mention the use of bones from sheep, deer, ostrich, and even humans. The bones are heated in a sealed vessel at temperatures of up to 700 °C (1,292 °F) with a low oxygen concentration to prevent combustion. This process results in a black, porous substance that is primarily used for filtration and decolorisation.

Bone char consists mainly of tricalcium phosphate (or hydroxyapatite), calcium carbonate, and carbon. Its composition can vary depending on how it is made. Bone char has a range of applications, from sugar refining to water purification and artistic uses.

In the sugar industry, bone char is used as a decolorizing filter, allowing sugar cane to achieve its desirable white colour. It is able to remove various inorganic impurities, most importantly sulfates and the ions of magnesium and calcium. This reduces scaling during the refining process when the sugar solution is concentrated. While there are modern alternatives, such as activated carbon and ion-exchange resins, some companies still depend partially or fully on bone char for sugar refinement.

Bone char is also used for water purification, particularly for removing fluoride and metal ions from drinking water. The tricalcium phosphate in bone char is effective at removing these contaminants, and it was widely used in the United States from the 1940s to the 1960s. It is still used in some developing countries due to its low cost and local availability.

Additionally, bone char has artistic applications due to its deep black colour and excellent tinting strength. It has been used as a pigment for paint, printmaking, inks, and other artistic media. Old masters like Rembrandt and Velázquez, as well as modern painters like Manet and Picasso, have used bone char-based pigments in their works.

What types of sugar are always vegan?

The refining process is what makes sugar vegan or not. If sugar is refined, it is likely that bone char has been used to purify it. Bone char is made from the bones of cattle, and is used to make sugar white. Therefore, if a sugar is unrefined, it is always vegan.

Beet Sugar

Beet sugar is always vegan. Beet sugar is naturally white, so it does not need to be refined.

Coconut Sugar

Coconut sugar is made from the sap of the coconut tree. It is minimally refined, so it is always vegan.

Date Sugar

Date sugar is made from dehydrated and ground dates. It is unprocessed, so it is always vegan.

Demerara Sugar

Demerara sugar is a raw sugar with large crystals and a coarse texture. It is slightly refined using steam, but does not use bone char, so it is always vegan.

Muscovado Sugar

Muscovado sugar is an unrefined or partially refined sugar with a dark colour and a moist, sandy texture. It does not use bone char, so it is always vegan.

Black Sugar

Black sugar, or Okinawa sugar, is a vegan sugar. It is made in the same way as white sugar, but the sugarcane juice is boiled and left to dry on its own.

Piloncillo

Piloncillo, or panela, is a raw cane sugar made by boiling sugarcane juice. It is poured into cone-shaped moulds and left to dry and harden. It is a vegan sugar.

Organic Sugar

Organic sugar is always vegan. According to the USDA, foods labelled organic are not allowed to use bone char.

How can you tell if your sugar is vegan?

To tell if your sugar is vegan, you should check the packaging for certain labels. Sugar from sugar beets is always vegan, so look out for this type of sugar. If you're buying cane sugar, look for labels that say 'organic', 'natural', 'raw', or 'unrefined'. These types of cane sugar are processed without bone char and are therefore vegan. Bone char is often used to refine cane sugar, and since it's made from animal bones, it's not vegan.

If you're unsure, you can always contact the manufacturer to ask if their product is vegan.

What are some vegan sugar brands?

While beet sugar is always vegan, cane sugar is not always vegan due to the refining process. To make refined sugar from sugarcane, the stalks are crushed to separate the juice from the pulp. The juice is then processed, filtered, and bleached with bone char, which gives sugar its pure white colour.

• In the Raw: This brand sells a variety of vegan sugars, including turbinado, organic cane sugar, and monk fruit sugar.
• Florida Crystals: This brand sells organic sugar produced from sustainably managed sugarcane farms in the U.S.
• Big Tree Farms: This brand sells organic and Fair Trade Certified coconut sugar.
• Redpath: This brand sells raw and unrefined plant-based sugars.
• Now Foods: Their beet sugar is organic, gluten-free, and kosher.
• Organic Cane Sugar by Wholesome
• Organic Cane Sugar by 365
• Organic Cane Sugar by Trader Joe’s
• Organic Cane Sugar by Woodstock
• Beet Sugar by NOW Foods
• Michigan Sugar Company
• Simple Truth (Kroger/Ralphs’ brand of Organic Sugar)
• Simply Balanced (Target’s brand of Organic Sugar)
• Western Sugar Cooperative
• Roger's Sugar
• Anthony's

Frequently asked questions