Is Sugar Vegan?

Is sugar vegan? The short answer is: some sugar is vegan.

The most helpful thing that we can do for animals is to make compassionate choices every time that we spend our money. Being vegan isn’t about “perfection” or a quest for personal purity—it’s about achieving real change for animals suffering in the food industry. There’s no better way to do that than by always choosing plant-based foods when shopping or heading out to dinner and by leaving animal-derived ingredients off your plate. We’ve compiled this list of tips on finding sugar that doesn’t use bone char for those who are interested, but we also want to say: Don’t stress too hard about sugar if you’re unsure about how it was produced. You’re saving more than 200 animals per year by being vegan, and the effect will snowball as people around you, inspired by your choices, may start trying vegan meals once you’ve shown them how easy it can be.

Where does bone char come from?

Bone char—often referred to as natural carbon—is widely used by the sugar industry as a decolorizing filter, which allows the sugar cane to achieve a white color. Bone char is made from the bones of cattle who were slaughtered in foreign countries and sold to traders in other foreign countries, who then sell the bones back to the U.S. sugar industry. How quickly these sensitive animals—killed in the most inhumane ways—become “commodities,” as their bones are then sold to traders in other foreign countries, who then sell the body parts back to the U.S. sugar industry. Typically, sugar is made from sugarcane, sugar beets, or coconuts. Beet and coconut sugar are never processed with bone char.

What about brown sugar?

Brown sugar is created by adding molasses to refined sugar, so companies that use bone char in white sugar will also use it to make brown sugar. Confectioner’s sugar—refined sugar mixed with cornstarch—made by these companies also involves the use of bone char. Fructose may, but does not typically, involve a bone-char filter.

If a sugar is labeled organic, does that mean it’s not filtered with bone char?

Yes. Certified U.S. Department of Agriculture organic sugar cannot be filtered through bone char. If the sugar you want to buy isn’t organic, check to see if it says “unrefined” or if it’s made from beets.

The following companies do not use bone-char filters:

• In the Raw
• Big Tree Farms
• Billington’s
• Bob’s Red Mill
• Florida Crystals
• Imperial Sugar
• Michigan Sugar Company
• Now Foods
• Rapunzel
• Redpath
• Simple Truth (Kroger/Ralphs’ brand of Organic Sugar)
• Good & Gather (Target’s brand of Organic Sugar)
• SuperValu
• Trader Joe’s
• Western Sugar Cooperative
• Wholesome!
• Woodstock Farms
• Zulka

Here are some other delicious vegan sweeteners:

• Agave
• Simple Truth Vegan Honee
• Brown Rice Syrup
• Date Syrup
• Maple Syrup
• Molasses
• Stevia (good for diabetics, as it has a zero glycemic index)
• Yacon Root Syrup

Cows are gentle social beings. They have the ability to recognize more than 100 other cows, and they form close friendships with members of their herd. Researchers report that cows grieve when their friends or family members die.

Every animal is someone. Cows don’t exist for their bodies to be exploited as filtering agents for sugar.

Want to go vegan but don’t know how to get started? We’ve got you covered.

With so many options available, going vegan is easier than ever. Take the pledge today, or share it with your friends!