Is calcium stearate vegan?
Calcium stearate is potentially vegan - it can be derived from plants or animals. You should ask the manufacturer for more details.
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"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 calcium stearate?
Calcium stearate is a calcium salt of stearic acid that functions primarily as an anti-caking agent, emulsifier, and release agent in commercial food processing. It is manufactured by reacting stearic acid with calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide. The ingredient commonly appears in dry powdered mixes, pressed candies, cake decorations, spice blends, and dietary supplement tablets to keep ingredients flowing freely during manufacturing.
The ingredient is classified as possibly vegan because the stearic acid used to produce it originates from either plant or animal sources. Animal-derived stearic acid is typically obtained from rendered fats such as beef or sheep tallow, whereas plant-derived stearic acid is sourced from palm, coconut, soybean, or other vegetable oils. Food packaging labels generally do not disclose the origin of the fatty acids used. A third-party vegan certification on the product packaging or direct confirmation from the manufacturer is necessary to verify that the calcium stearate used is plant-based.
How to quickly find the source of ingredients like calcium stearate?
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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.
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