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Is refined sugar vegan/vegetarian?

Well, it depends which country you’re in, what kind of sugar you buy, and what brand. There are two kinds of sugar – cane and beet. Cane sugar is the kind we have in Australia; the other is beet which is very common is the US and Europe. Beet sugar doesn’t seem to be a problem to vegans due to the manner of processing. According to Caroline Pyevich “beet sugar refineries never use a bone char filter in processing because this type of sugar does not require an extensive decolorising procedure. Beet sugar can be refined with a pressure lead filter and an ion exchange system.” For more information head to Vegetarian Journal.

Cane sugar is more problematical. Cane sugar goes through an adsorption process to rid it of colour, minerals and impurities. In the US most cane sugar is processed with animal bone char (charcoal). The bone char is prepared by incinerating cow bones at a very high temperature to make a filter. This removes impurities and colour; the char does not remain in the sugar but is used purely as a filter. Because it is completely removed the sugar is considered suitable to followers of strict kosher rules. However it cannot be considered vegan or vegetarian. In the US sugar is not necessarily labelled “beet” or “cane” so beware. The site Veg Family gives some names of US companies that do or don’t use bone char.

In Australia at least two sugar companies do not use bone char in the processing of cane sugar. Sugar Australia uses a granular activated carbon made from coal, and Bundaberg Sugar states they have not used bone char for years. [Vegetarian Network Victoria, Great vegetarian food products. Fine print]

Unbleached or “raw” sugar hasn’t gone through the process but there are plenty of other options for sweetening besides that. Jo Stepaniak at Grassroots Veganism suggests retraining our taste buds to appreciate the natural sweetness in fruits, syrups and other foods.

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What is ‘not chicken’?

‘Not chicken’ or Soy nuggets are names given to vegetarian products that look and taste a bit like chicken. They are made from soy and wheat protein.

A lot of people are really freaked out by vegetarian food in the shape of, or tasting like meat. It’s just that the name vegetarian snausage is better than Wheat based gluten stick for BBQ’s and Not Chicken is more marketable than soy protein pieces. So don’t be put off by the meaty sounding names, you can make some really great recipes with them. I’m glad to have the variety and although all ‘not meat’ products are highly processed they are usually high in protein, fibre and tasty to boot. You can buy ‘not chicken’ at the Asian grocery store. After trying every brand available Kanaga and I agree the brand pictured is the best.