Is cayenne red pepper vegan?

Cayenne red pepper is a spice made from the dried and ground fruit of the Capsicum annuum plant, specifically the cayenne cultivar. The peppers are grown agriculturally, harvested when fully mature and red, and then dehydrated using sunlight or industrial drying ovens. After dehydration, the whole dried pods and seeds are milled into a fine powder or crushed into flakes. In liquid condiment manufacturing, the peppers may instead be pureed, aged, and blended with vinegar and salt. This ingredient commonly appears on labels for hot sauces, barbecue rubs, seasoned potato chips, frozen entrees, canned chilis, and spice mixes.

Cayenne red pepper is vegan because it is derived exclusively from a botanical source. The transformation from raw agricultural produce to the finished spice involves simple mechanical and thermal steps, such as washing, drying, and milling. None of these processing stages require animal-derived ingredients, animal testing, or animal-based filtering aids. Because no animals or animal byproducts are used at any stage of its cultivation or processing, cayenne red pepper is fully suitable for a vegan diet.