{"id":72309,"date":"2019-12-29T07:43:39","date_gmt":"2019-12-29T06:43:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/veganuary.com\/?post_type=blog&p=85832"},"modified":"2025-09-30T11:24:01","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T10:24:01","slug":"vegan-label-reading-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/veganuary.com\/en-za\/vegan-label-reading-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Vegan Label Reading Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Food can suddenly feel quite foreign when you decide to try vegan. Our vegan label reading guide will help!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Image Credit: Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

It\u2019s an odd sensation when you realise that you don\u2019t actually know what\u2019s in most of the foods you eat. You start to question even the most obvious, and your local supermarket suddenly feels like uncharted territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But don\u2019t panic. We\u2019re not talking about learning a language here – within a week you\u2019ll have graduated to Expert Label Reader<\/em> status, and by the end of the month you\u2019ll be able to add another word to that title: Expert Label Speed Reader<\/em>. Vegans can read labels astonishingly quickly, it\u2019s like a super power. But we\u2019ll let you in on a little secret, it\u2019s only because we know what to look for\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below are a few tips that\u2019ll have you throwing items into your shopping trolley with confidence<\/strong>! Refer to this as often as necessary. And if in any doubt, it is probably best to leave it out.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Does it say vegan on the label?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s never been a better time to go vegan! There are more options available than ever before, and the internet means we can check up on almost anything, whenever we need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the food labels of the world are still playing catch up, and it\u2019s a rarity to pick up something and find it labelled \u2018vegan\u2019. So does that mean your food choices have suddenly plummeted to the sum total of the fruit and veg aisle? No. It just means you have to be a bit clever.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Vegetarian labelling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many labels will obviously state if something is vegetarian, so our first tip is to look for that…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Legally, a company must explicitly state what allergens are contained in a product<\/strong>, and these will typically highlighted in bold within the ingredients list<\/strong>, or stated separately below it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you see a non-vegan allergen ingredient (eggs, milk, whey and casein are usual suspects) then that item isn’t vegan. If none are listed, then it is very likely vegan. But this is where the list below becomes your best friend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Always scan any ingredients list (vegetarian labelled or not) for any of the following.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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If you see one of these listed then the product is not *vegan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is the part of our vegan label reading guide you’ll probably refer to the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n