Does this sound familiar? You’re standing in the supermarket, you turn over a packet of fruit gums and read your way through an ingredients list that sounds more like a chemistry lesson than a sweet treat. Somewhere between the glucose syrup and the acidifier, an “E 120” or “E 904” pops up, and you wonder whether an animal was involved. That happened to me all the time when I first went vegan, and to be honest I was often surprised by where animal ingredients turn up: in the shiny coating on sweets, on the skin of fruit or in a vitamin D supplement.
The good news is that you don’t need a chemistry degree to keep track. In this article I’ll show you what E numbers actually are, which of them are (almost) always animal-derived, where the answer is “it depends” and which apps make shopping a lot easier. It’s best to save the list straight away so you have it to hand on your next shopping trip.
What are E numbers, anyway?
Behind every E number is a food additive that has been tested and approved in the EU. The numbers were introduced so that often unwieldy chemical names could be labelled consistently and in a way everyone can understand. The “E” is usually followed by a three-digit number that follows a fixed system: E 100 to E 180 are colours, for example, and E 200 to E 297 are preservatives. [1]
Additives make food last longer, look more appetising, take on a certain texture or become easier to process. For a substance to be used at all, it has to be harmless to health and technologically necessary, and it must not mislead you when you shop. [1][2] Around 320 of these additives are currently approved in the EU. [3]
So E numbers aren’t automatically a bad thing. Many of them even occur in nature, such as vitamin C, which is used as an antioxidant. [1] For us vegans, though, a completely different question is the interesting one: what is the substance actually made from?
Why the ingredients list doesn't always tell you
This is where it gets tricky. So far, manufacturers don’t have to state whether additives, flavourings and added vitamins are of plant or animal origin. [4] On top of that, some substances don’t have to appear on the packet at all: additives that get into the product via an ingredient and no longer have any effect there, for example, or processing aids that are used during production and then removed again. A classic is gelatine, which binds the cloudy particles in juices and is then filtered out again. [4]
And in case you’re wondering why the word “vegan” on a packet doesn’t always mean the same thing: there is no legally binding definition of it in Austria, in Germany or at EU level. [5]
Another popular custom in many countries is lead pouring. In this tradition, people melt small pieces of lead and pour them into cold water to interpret the resulting shapes as omens for the year ahead. However, this playful ritual has an environmental downside: lead is a toxic heavy metal, and its extraction and processing pose serious ecological risks.
These E numbers are (almost) always animal-derived
If you spot one of these additives on the ingredients list, you can assume that the product isn’t vegan.
- E 120 – Carmine (cochineal): A strong red colour obtained from scale insects. [4] You’ll find it in red sweets, drinks or processed meats, for example. [6]
- E 234 – Nisin: A preservative made by growing bacteria on milk. [6]
- E 901 – Beeswax: Used as a glazing agent, including on the skin of fresh fruit such as apples, pears or citrus fruit. [8]
- E 904 – Shellac: A glazing agent made from the secretion of the lac insect. [6] It gives many sweets the lovely glossy surface we know so well.
- E 966 – Lactitol: A sweetener made from milk sugar that is found mainly in sugar-free sweets. [6]
- E 1105 – Lysozyme: A preservative obtained from hen’s egg white. [6]
You may be missing gelatine in this list. It is of course always animal-derived, because it is made from the skin, tendons, ligaments or bones of animals. But because it legally counts as an ingredient rather than an additive, it has no E number and has to appear on the packet by name. [7] So the label “E 441” that you still find in some lists comes from older overviews.
These E numbers can be animal-derived
With the following additives, it depends on the manufacturer. They can be plant-based, synthetic or animal-derived, and unfortunately you can’t see the difference on the packaging.
- E 322 – Lecithin: An emulsifier that can come from soya or sunflowers, but also from egg yolk. [6] If it specifically says “soya lecithin” or “sunflower lecithin”, you’re on the safe side.
- E 422 – Glycerol: Can be made from plant fats, but also from animal fats. [6]
- E 470 to E 495 – Emulsifiers made from fatty acids (for example E 471, mono- and diglycerides): the fatty acids mostly come from vegetable oils such as rapeseed or sunflower oil, but can also come from pork or beef fat. [7]
- E 620 to E 625 (glutamates) and E 635 (ribonucleotides): Flavour enhancers that can be obtained from both plant and animal sources. [6]
- E 640 – Glycine: Can be made from gelatine. [6]
- E 920 – L-cysteine: A flour treatment agent that is often obtained from feathers or bristles. [6] Don’t worry about the flour in your cupboard: L-cysteine is mainly used in flour and baking mixes supplied to bakeries, so that the dough is easier to work with. Whether it has to appear on the ingredients list of the finished bread is legally disputed. In organic baked goods, on the other hand, L-cysteine is banned, and that makes a really simple rule of thumb for your shopping. [4]
When you browse ingredients lists, you’ll probably also come across E 270 – lactic acid. I can put your mind at rest here: despite its name, it has nothing to do with cow’s milk.
Lactic acid is formed when microorganisms, mainly lactic acid bacteria, ferment foods that contain sugar or starch. The bacteria “eat” the sugar and turn it into lactic acid. Industrially, it is now made almost exclusively in this way from plant-based raw materials such as sugar or starch. [6] You know the principle from your own kitchen, by the way: it’s exactly this process that makes sauerkraut sour and gives sourdough bread its typical mild, slightly tangy flavour.
The note “may contain traces of milk or egg” doesn’t make a product non-vegan either. It is there to protect people with allergies, because other products are made in the same factory. [6]
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What we do today determines what the world will look like tomorrow.
Animal-derived, but with no E number at all
Some animal ingredients don’t show up as an E number at all. Two examples that really surprised me back then:
- Vitamin D3: It is often made from lanolin, a wool grease from the sebaceous glands of sheep. But there is now also vegan vitamin D3, which is obtained from lichen. [9] That’s why it’s worth reading the small print, especially on fortified foods and food supplements.
- Fining agents in wine and juice: Egg white, gelatine or fish bladder are often used to clarify wine or juice, and they don’t have to be declared on the finished drink. Naturally cloudy apple juice, on the other hand, is always vegan. [5] By the way, I’ve explained in detail how to spot vegan wines and beers in my article Why wine, beer & co. aren’t automatically vegan.
Vitamin D is also the reason I pay particularly close attention to where the ingredients in food supplements come from. I take the vitamin D3 K2 drops from NATURTREU myself: the vitamin D3 in them is obtained from lichen, so there’s no sheep’s wool involved at all. And for omega-3, which many people automatically associate with fish oil, I take RINGANA BEYOND omega: the vegan capsules provide DHA and EPA from microalgae. You can read why omega-3 matters particularly on a plant-based diet in my article on pflanzliches Omega-3.
It's worth a second look outside the kitchen too
Hidden animal ingredients aren’t only found in food. In cosmetics you’ll find beeswax (often listed on the packet as “Cera Alba”), silk proteins or carmine, for example. [10] So look out for a vegan label on skincare products too, or if in doubt ask the brand directly.
Even candles can contain animal products. As well as beeswax, stearin is sometimes made from beef tallow. [11] Candles made from rapeseed or soya wax are a lovely alternative. At Avocadostore you can filter the scented candles by „vegan“ and find a nice selection without having to search for long.
How to spot and avoid hidden animal ingredients
You don’t have to learn every E number by heart. With a few simple habits, vegan shopping very quickly becomes routine:
- Look out for vegan labels: The most reliable option is a recognised label such as the V-Label, which is awarded in Austria by the Vegan Society Austria (Vegane Gesellschaft Österreich). [5] For the vegan version, no animal-derived ingredients, additives, processing aids, carriers, flavourings or enzymes may be used. [4]
- Choose short ingredients lists: The less processed a product is, the fewer additives it usually contains. Far fewer additives are permitted in organic food too, namely 56 instead of around 320. [3] But organic doesn’t automatically mean vegan.
- Know the alternatives: Instead of beeswax or shellac, plant-based carnauba wax (E 903) is often used for the shine. A nice example is the Bärenfamily organic fruit gums from El Puente: they are made with pectin instead of gelatine and coated with carnauba wax.
- Just ask: If you’re unsure about a product without a label, send the manufacturer a quick message. That’s completely normal and often the fastest solution. [4]
Apps that help you decode the label
If you want a quick answer when you’re out and about, scanner apps are a real help in everyday life:
- CodeCheck: You simply scan the barcode or search for the product name, and the app uses a vegan filter or warning to show you whether a product is vegan. It works for food and cosmetics, on your smartphone and in the browser. [10] You do need a subscription for the full version, though. [6]
- Open Food Facts: A non-profit project run by volunteers from all over the world. The free app recognises whether a product is vegan or vegetarian or contains palm oil. Because the data comes from the community, it isn’t always 100% correct, so a quick look at the packaging is still important. [12] For cosmetics there is even a sister app of its own, Open Beauty Facts. [13]
My conclusion
Hidden animal ingredients are no reason to despair when you go shopping. The E numbers that are truly clear-cut are quick to remember, and for all the others, labels, apps or a quick question to the manufacturer will help you. And honestly: nobody is perfect. If something slips through now and then, it isn’t the end of the world, just another step in learning along your vegan journey.
Make life easy for yourself: save this article or take a screenshot of the lists, and you’ll always have your cheat sheet with you on your next shopping trip. Which hidden ingredient surprised you most? Feel free to tell me in the comments or send me a message on Instagram at @veganwithgreentrinsic.
This text is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It must not be used as a basis for self-diagnosis or for starting, changing or discontinuing medical treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional if you have any health concerns or symptoms. Greentrinsic accepts no liability for any discomfort or harm arising from the use of the information provided.
Sources:
- Welche Klassen von Lebensmittelzusatzstoffen gibt es?, (https://www.oesterreich-isst-informiert.at/lebensmittel/welche-klassen-von-lebensmittelzusatzstoffen-gibt-es/)
- Lebensmittelzusatzstoffe – AGES, (https://www.ages.at/mensch/ernaehrung-lebensmittel/lebensmittelinformationen/zusatzstoffe)
- Zusatzstoffe in Lebensmitteln erkennen und einordnen, (https://www.verbraucherzentrale.de/wissen/lebensmittel/ernaehrung-fuer-seniorinnen/zusatzstoffe-in-lebensmitteln-erkennen-und-einordnen-48872)
- Vegetarische und vegane Lebensmittel erkennen: Worauf muss ich achten?, (https://www.verbraucherzentrale.de/wissen/lebensmittel/gesund-ernaehren/vegetarische-und-vegane-lebensmittel-erkennen-worauf-muss-ich-achten-68457)
- V-Label: Kennzeichnung veganer Produkte, (https://www.forum-ernaehrung.at/lebensstil/artikel/v-labelling-kennzeichnung-veganer-produkte)
- Vegane Zusatzstoffe erkennen: E-Nummern und Zutatenlisten im Überblick, (https://www.veganblatt.com/a/ist-das-vegan)
- E-Nummern – Swissveg, (https://www.swissveg.ch/de/e-nummern)
- So erkennen Sie vegetarische und vegane Lebensmittel, (https://www.verbraucherzentrale.nrw/wissen/lebensmittel/gesund-ernaehren/so-erkennen-sie-vegetarische-und-vegane-lebensmittel-68457)
- Wie werden Vitamin D-Präparate hergestellt?, (https://www.foodunfolded.com/de/artikel/wie-werden-vitamin-d-praeparate-hergestellt)
- CodeCheck – Vegan, (https://www.codecheck.info/info/vegan)
- Nachhaltige Bio-Kerzen ohne Schadstoffe, Paraffin & Co., (https://utopia.de/ratgeber/einkaufsratgeber-kerzen_16258/)
- Open Food Facts – Apps bei Google Play, (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.openfoodfacts.scanner&hl=de)
- Open Food Facts mobile app, (https://world.openfoodfacts.org/open-food-facts-mobile-app)
