Meaty wine and other ickiness

As a vegetarian or vegan it can be hard to avoid animal products but to make matters worse there are "hidden" animal bits in a lot of food. Now some veggies feel like this isn't an important issue and you should  just worry about the big sources. Personally I think it is a personal choice and there is nothing wrong with trying to avoid as many meat/animal items as possible and it doesn't detract from bigger global concerns. 


Did you know that wine you love might not be total vege/vegan safe?

“The four principal additives sometimes used in winemaking that may be of concern to vegetarians and vegans are isinglass (fish bladder), egg whites, casein (a milk protein) and gelatin. All four fall under the category of fining agents”.

“Fining agents cause substances like off-flavours and phenolics (that give wine bitterness and/or dry flavours), to settle out to the bottom of the tank. The wine is drawn off the top, leaving the fining agent and undesirables behind. After settling, the wine is often filtered, providing an extra guarantee that no fining agent makes it into the bottle.”

“So the first thing to understand is that no wine has any animal products remaining when it is bottled.”

Read more at Suite101: What Makes a Vegetarian Wine: Some Wines Contain Animal Products http://vegetarian-issues.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_makes_a_vegetarian_wine#ixzz0cPsrnBf5

Now some of these you might know and some won't apply to you if you are not trying to go vegan but it's still nice to have the information.

Hidden Animal Ingredients

Ingredient	What It Is	Its Use
Albumin	The protein component of egg whites. Albumin is also found in animal blood, milk, plants, and seeds.	To thicken or add texture to processed foods.
Anchovies	Small, silvery fish of herring family.	Worcestershire sauce, Caesar salad dressing, pizza topping, Greek salads.
Animal shortening	Butter, suet, lard (see lard below).	Packaged cookies and crackers, refried beans, flour tortillas, ready-made pie crusts.
Carmine (carmine, cochineal, or carminic acid)	Red coloring made from a ground-up insect.	Bottled juices, colored pasta, some candies, frozen pops, "natural" cosmetics.
Calcium stearate	Mineral typically derived from cows or hogs	Garlic salt, vanilla, meat tenderizers, salad-dressing mixes.
Capric acid (decanoic acid)	Animal fats	added to ice cream, candy, baked goods, chewing gum, liquor and often not specified on ingredients lists.
Casein (caseinate)	A milk protein. It coagulates with the addition of rennin (see rennin below) and is the foundation of cheese.	An additive in dairy products such as cheese, cream cheese, cottage cheese, and sour cream. Also used in adhesives, paints, and plastics.
Clarifying agent	Derived from any number of animal sources.	Used to filter wine, vinegar, beer, fruit juice, soft drinks.
Gelatin	Protein from bones, cartilage, tendons, and skin of animals, Much of the commercial gelatin is a by-product of pig skin.	Marshmallows, yogurt, frosted cereals, gelatin-containing desserts, molded salads..
Glucose (dextrose)	Fruits or animal tissues and fluids.	Baked goods, soft drinks, candies, frosting.
Glycerides (mono-, di-, and triglycerides	Glycerol from animal fats or plants.	Processed foods, cosmetics, perfumes, lotions, inks, glues, automobile antifreeze. Used as emulsifier.
Isinglass	Gelatin from air bladder of sturgeon and other freshwater fish.	Clarify alcoholic beverages and in some jellied desserts. Rarely used now.
Lactic acid	Acid formed by bacteria acting on the milk sugar lactose. Imparts a tart flavor.	Cheese, yogurt, pickles, olives, sauerkraut, candy, frozen desserts, chewing gum, fruit preserves, dyeing and textile printing.
Lactose (saccharum lactin, D-lactose	Milk sugar.	Culture medium for souring milk and in processed foods such as baby formulas, candies and other  sweets, medicinal diuretics, and laxatives.
Lactylic stearate	Salt of stearic acid (see stearic acid below).	Dough conditioner.
Lanolin	Waxy fat from sheep's wool.	Chewing gum, ointments, cosmetics, waterproof coatings.
Lard	Rendered and clarified pork fat. Often fat from abdomens of pigs or the fat around the animal's kidneys.	Baked goods.
Lecithin	Phospholipids form animal tissues, plants, lentils, and egg yolks used to preserve, emulsify, and moisturize food.	Cereal, candy, chocolate, baked goods, margarine, vegetable oil sprays, cosmetics, and ink.
Lutein	Deep yellow coloring from marigolds or egg yolks.	Commercial food coloring.
Myristic acid (tetradecanoic acid)	Animal fats.	Chocolate, ice cream, candy, jelled desserts, baked goods.
Natural flavorings	Unspecified, could be from meat or other animal products	Processed and packaged foods.
Oleic acid (oleinic acid)	Animal tallow (see tallow below)	Synthetic butter, cheese, vegetable fats and oils, spice flavoring for baked goods, candy, ice cream, beverages, condiments, soaps, cosmetics.
Palmatic acid	Animal or vegetable fats.	Baked goods, butter and cheese flavoring.
Pancreatin (pancreatic extract)	Cows or hogs	Digestive aids.
Pepsin	Enzyme from pigs' stomachs	With rennet to make cheese.
Propolis	Resinous cement collected by bees	Food supplement and ingredient in "natural" toothpaste.
Rennin (Rennet)	A coagulating enzyme obtained from a young animal's stomach, usually a calf's stomach	Rennin is used to curdle milk in foods such as cheese and junket--a soft pudding like dessert.
Royal jelly	Substance produced by glands of bees.	"Natural foods" and nutrient supplements.
Sodium stearoyl lactylate	May be derived from cows, hogs, animal milk, or vegetable-mineral sources.	Used in cake, pudding, or pancake mixes, baked goods, margarine.
Stearic acid (octadecenoic acid)	Tallow, other animal fats and oils	Vanilla flavoring, chewing gum, baked goods, beverages, candy, soaps, ointments, candles, cosmetics, suppositories and pill coatings.
Suet	Hard white fat around kidneys and loins of animals	Margarine, mincemeat, pastries, bird feed, tallow.
Tallow	Solid fat of sheep and cattle separated from the membranous tissues	Waxed paper, margarine, soaps, crayons, candles, rubber, cosmetics.
Vitamin A (A1, retinol)	Vitamin obtained from vegetables, egg yolks, or fish liver oil.	Vitamin supplements, fortification of foods, "natural" cosmetics.
Vitamin B12	Vitamin produced by microorganisms and found in all animal products; synthetic form (cyanocobalamin or cobalamin on labels) is vegan	Supplements or fortified foods.
Vitamin D (D1, D2, D3)	D1 is produced by humans upon exposure to sunlight; D2 (ergocalciferol) is made from plants or yeast, D3 (cholecalciferol comes from fish liver oils or lanolin	Supplements or fortified foods.
Whey	Watery liquid that separates from the solids (curds) of milks in cheese-making.	Crackers, breads, cakes, processed foods in cheese-making.

from http://www.cyberparent.com/eat/hiddenanimalsinfood.htm


~Venus