Sugar!?!?!?

Question

I'm vegan and I have heard sugar isn't vegan!!! I heard it has animal bones or something in it! If this is true what can I eat!?!?! Isn't sugar in like eveything?!?!?

Answer 1

You can eat sugar I have a lot of vegans in my family and trust me they eat plenty of sugar'

Answer 2

It depends on how you define 'vegan.' Refined sugars do not contain any animal products, and so by an ingredients-based definition of vegan, refined sugar is vegan.

However, some refined sugar is processed with animal bone char. The charcoal is used to remove colour, impurities, and minerals from sugar. The charcoal is not 'in' the sugar, but is used in the process as as a filter. Thus by a process-based definition of vegan, refined sugar may not be considered vegan.

If one accepts a process-based definition of vegan, then many other familiar products would also not be considered vegan. For instance, in many areas, groundwater and surface water is filtered through bone charcoal filters.

Personally as a vegan I try to avoid products that exploit animals in ANY way, this includes using animal by-products in processing. However, due to animal exploitation being so ingrained in our culture... it is almost impossible to find anything that is "purely" vegan. Therefore I simply do my best to avoid these products while acknowledging that I must still live the modern world.

I only buy unrefined sugar such as mollasses, beet sugar, maple syrup for personal use at home. However, as you so rightly point out, sugar is in many processed foods and so I resign myself to the fact that I will not be able to avoid it entirely.

Just remember veganism is about giving a d**n, not being perfect. There is no rule as to whether or not you can eat sugar, try to make up your own mind :)

BTW: computer guy, unlike sugar, honey is not a grey area. Bees make honey, bees are animals, therefore honey is an animal product just like milk and eggs. Honey is NOT vegan.

http://www.vegetus.org/honey/honey.htm

Answer 3

eat it! It is a plant of the cane variety.

Answer 4

Sugar is NOT animal bones.

It comes from a plant. Sugar cane.

You're fine man!

Answer 5

When sugar is made, it has kind of a brownish color. What removes the color is charcoal, made from animal bones. Beet sugar is vegan friendly :)

Look at this

http://www.vegsource.com/jo/qa/qasugar.h...

Answer 6

Sugar usually comes from sugar cane or other vegetables. There are no animal parts.

Answer 7

Sugar is made from sugar cane, sugar beets,and other plants.  I read in these posts that some sugar is filtered though bone char.  Would that make it non-vegan?

I was thinking about honey, which is made by bees and processed from honeycombs retrieved from a beehive.  As such, it is possible for honey to contain bee parts, although I am sure it is filtered.  Is honey vegan?

Answer 8

apparently when sugar is refined, bones are used. apaparently..... i'm a vegeterian and i still eat sugar

Answer 9

What?!? who told you that? sugar comes from sugar cane which is a plant. it has no animal bones in it lol

Answer 10

Most white sugar in the US is not vegan. I think the Vegetarian Resource Guide has a good list of which sugars are processed each way, but basically, there are few white sugars that are vegan.

The sugar is filtered through a char made of animal bones. For instance, a cow is butchered, the pelvis is sold, burn and ground into this material which is used in the processing.

I have noticed products using high fructose corn syrup instead of sugar have labeled themselves 'vegan.' Also if you read labels on vegan treats, you should notice they are using only raw sugars, molasses, and such. It won't say "bleached white sugar or just sugar."

I noticed you are getting mixed answers here. Find a trustworthy vegetarian source. VRG is a nice publication because it provides updates of which restaraunt chains are serving veg. options, how foods are processed, etc.

Answer 11

Sugar is from sugar cane, a plant.  

You can't eat anything with gelatin though, such as jelly, jam, or jell-o or pudding.  Gelatin is made from animal ligaments and cartilage.

Answer 12

Of course you can eat sugar! LOL there is no animal anything in it!

Just look on Vegan suport forums and website and you will see if you dont trust me

Answer 13

"Stevia",it's derived from plants,and you can buy it online.

It's actually better for you than granulated or confectioner sugar.

Answer 14

About half the cane sugar sold in the US is filtered through bone char.  Beet sugar and evaporated cane juice are not.  Whole Foods sells their own 365 brand of vegan cane sugar and Florida Crystals is another brand to look for.

As usual, you have a lot of people piping up who clearly have no idea what they're talking about.  For some reason, the sugar question always brings them out of the woodwork.