Is chitin vegan?
Chitin is a non-vegan food ingredient.
Checking out an ingredients list? 👇
"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 chitin?
Chitin is a natural biopolymer that is found in the shells of crustaceans like shrimp, crabs, and lobsters, as well as the exoskeletons of insects and some fungi. It is a tough and rigid material that provides structural support and protection for these creatures. Chitin has a variety of uses in food production, including as a dietary fiber supplement, a natural preservative, and a source of chitosan, a substance with antimicrobial properties. It is also being researched for potential applications in biomedical engineering, agriculture, and environmental remediation. Chitin is a sustainable and renewable resource, making it an attractive alternative to synthetic materials in many industries.
How to quickly find the source of ingredients like chitin?
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.
We'll never send you spam.