"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 propionic acid?
Propionic acid is a naturally occurring short-chain fatty acid that can be found in fermented foods such as Swiss cheese and sourdough bread. It is also widely used as a food preservative due to its antimicrobial properties. The compound has a pungent, slightly sour odor and taste, and is commonly used in the food industry as an acidulant, flavoring agent, and mold inhibitor. Propionic acid is also used in the production of various chemicals, such as cellulose acetate propionate and propionyl chloride. While it is generally considered safe for consumption in small amounts, excessive intake of propionic acid has been linked to adverse health effects in animal studies.
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.