How We Verify

A vegan verdict is only worth something if you can trust how we reached it. Here is exactly how we check every product in our database, and where the limits are. We would rather tell you when we are unsure than give you a confident answer that turns out wrong.

The three verdicts

Every product gets one of three labels, and the label is deliberate.

• Vegan means every standard version we could find contains no animal-derived ingredients.
• It depends means the answer changes by flavor, region, or version. The classic example is a brand whose original is vegan but whose flavored line adds dairy or honey. We use this verdict instead of forcing a yes or no, because forcing it is how misinformation spreads.
• Not vegan means the standard product clearly contains an animal ingredient: milk, gelatin, carmine, honey, egg, whey, shellac, or similar.

What we check, in order

1. The current ingredient list, read from the product packaging or the manufacturer's own website, not from old blog posts.
2. The brand's official statements and FAQs, including any direct confirmation of vegan status or any admission of an undisclosed animal-derived processing aid.
3. Official vegan certification registries, primarily the Vegan.org Certified Vegan directory and the Vegan Society Trademark.
4. Established vegan organizations and ingredient references (for example PETA and Open Food Facts) to cross-check.

We name our sources on each product page so you can check our work.

The certification column

Our database shows whether a product carries an official third-party vegan certification, cross-referenced directly against the Vegan.org registry. A product can be vegan without being certified, so a "not certified" label is not the same as "not vegan." It simply means no official body has put its logo on the package. We never display a certification a product does not actually hold.

What the flags mean

The "watch for" flag on each entry is the single ingredient or issue that decides the verdict, like "Gelatin," "Carmine," "Bone-char sugar," or "Cross-contamination." It is the thing to scan the label for if you want to double-check on a fresh package.

Where we draw the gray lines

Two recurring debates have no single right answer, so we are explicit about our stance. Bone-char filtered sugar: the bone char is a processing aid, not an ingredient, and most major vegan organizations do not treat it as a disqualifier. We note it where relevant and let you decide. Cross-contamination ("may contain milk"): this is an allergen warning about shared equipment, not a deliberate ingredient. We flag it but do not, by itself, call a product non-vegan because of it.

Recipes change, so we date everything

Manufacturers reformulate without warning. Every product page carries a last verified date, and we re-check entries over time. Always confirm against the label in your hand, especially for limited editions and regional variants.

Found something wrong?

If a recipe has changed or we got something wrong, tell us and we will fix it fast. Email [email protected]. Corrections make the database better for everyone.