"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 cucurbita pepo?
Cucurbita pepo is the Latin botanical name for a domesticated plant species that includes field pumpkins, summer squashes, and zucchini. On ingredient labels, this designation typically refers to pumpkin seeds, seed extracts, or pumpkin seed oil obtained directly from the harvested fruit. It is cultivated as an agricultural crop worldwide, and its derivatives are processed through mechanical pressing, drying, or milling.
This ingredient commonly appears in culinary oils, specialty baked goods, plant-based protein powders, and nutritional supplements. It is also frequently listed on personal care and cosmetic items, where regulations often require botanical nomenclature to identify seed oils and plant extracts.
Cucurbita pepo is vegan because it is derived entirely from a plant source. The cultivation, harvesting, and mechanical processing of the squash and its seeds involve no animal inputs or animal-derived agents. Because it comes exclusively from botanical agriculture, it contains no animal products or byproducts.
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.