"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 c.i.42053?
C.I. 42053 is the Colour Index designation for Fast Green FCF, a synthetic triarylmethane dye also commonly referred to as FD&C Green No. 3 or E143. It is manufactured through industrial chemical synthesis, primarily from petroleum-derived aromatic hydrocarbons rather than biological sources. Manufacturers use this artificial colorant to impart a sea-green shade to a wide variety of processed food products, beverages, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Common items listing this additive include hard candies, frozen desserts, drink mixes, baked goods, canned vegetables, and oral hygiene products.
This ingredient is classified as vegan because its origin is entirely synthetic. The production process relies strictly on petrochemical precursors and laboratory reactions, requiring no animal tissues, fluids, or animal-derived processing aids at any stage of manufacturing. Because no materials of animal origin are involved in the creation of C.I. 42053, it 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.
Check out other ingredients: