"You are amazing, this has saved me so much time when grocery shopping!"
— Austin, a user who reached out with feedback
"It's been a great tool since starting my journey! You take a pic of the nutrition/ingredients, and it'll warn you of anything questionable or not vegan. 😁"
— Ashe, a Vegan For Beginners Facebook Group member
"Use a vegan app when you go shopping, I use WhatsVegan."
— Dóra, a Vegan For Beginners Facebook Group member
Learn more
"You are amazing, this has saved me so much time when grocery shopping!"
— Austin, a user who reached out with feedback
"It's been a great tool since starting my journey! You take a pic of the nutrition/ingredients, and it'll warn you of anything questionable or not vegan. 😁"
— Ashe, a Vegan For Beginners Facebook Group member
"Use a vegan app when you go shopping, I use WhatsVegan."
— Dóra, a Vegan For Beginners Facebook Group member
So, what is butyl acetate?
Butyl acetate is an organic ester that functions primarily as a flavoring agent in food and as a solvent in cosmetic products. It occurs naturally in many fruits, including apples, pears, and bananas, where it contributes to their characteristic sweet, fruity aroma. For commercial use, manufacturers produce it chemically through the esterification of butanol with acetic acid in the presence of an acid catalyst. In food manufacturing, it typically appears in fruit-flavored candies, baked goods, chewing gum, and beverages.
butyl acetate is vegan because it is manufactured without animal-derived inputs. The chemical raw materials used in its industrial synthesis are sourced from petroleum refining or plant-based fermentation processes. Because neither the butanol nor the acetic acid used in production comes from animal sources, and no animal processing aids are used during synthesis, butyl acetate is suitable for a vegan diet.
We've built a vegan ingredients scanner that classifies food ingredients as "vegan", "non-vegan", or "potentially vegan".
It allows you to avoid non-vegan ingredients - just take a picture of a product's ingredient list, and the app tells you if the product is vegan or not.