Is e160! vegan?

The label entry e160! is most likely an optical character recognition error or typo for E160, the European code for carotenoids, which are common yellow, orange, and red food colorings. Carotenoids are widely added to margarine, butter substitutes, baked goods, processed cheeses, sauces, soft drinks, and confectionery to enhance appearance.

These colorants can be extracted directly from plant sources such as carrots, tomatoes, corn, and red palm oil, fermented using algae, or produced synthetically from petrochemicals. However, carotenoids can also be extracted from animal fats, or formulated using animal-derived carriers like gelatin to help stabilize the pigment in water-based foods.

This ingredient is considered possibly vegan because food labels rarely state whether the coloring comes from plant, synthetic, or animal origins, nor do they specify the carriers used. A third-party vegan certification on the label or direct confirmation from the manufacturer is necessary to verify that the specific batch is entirely plant-derived and free from animal products.