Tuesday, November 12, 2013

The Dilemma Over Vegan Sugar

I have been vegan for nine years.  One of the first things I learned about from reading Joanne Stepaniak's "Vegan Sourcebook," was the process of refining granulated sugar thru cattle bones to achieve that clean, bright, white color Americans know and love.  As cattle bones are a by product of the slaughterhouse, and would be otherwise garbage to the profiteers from murder, they have banked in on selling the bones to sugar plants for an additional buck.  It is an age old process to use bones in the filtration of sugar, but is absolutely unnecessary.  Often referred to as "natural carbon," most sugar you know and see, is filtered in this way, and as there is sugar in what feels like almost EVERYTHING with a label on it, how does one know if this sugar is "carbon free," aka VEGAN!!?? 
 
Well, I thought I had made an amazing breakthrough after the restaurant I worked for, Green Vegetarian Cuisine, was being certified Kosher.  While going thru all the detailed process of having our pilot lights lit by a Rabbi and having all of our pots and pans blessed, I confronted the Rabbi with this question..."Is it Kosher to use a sugar that has been filtered thru cattle bones?  Even if you mix it with a dairy product?"   Traditionally, Orthodox Jewish folk consider it a sin to consume dairy and meat at the same time, on the same plate...so if there is a cake made with sugar that has been filtered thru cattle bones, and has dairy milk in it as well, where does that stand in their minds?  The answer I received was a big fat "NO."  He explained to me that this would never be considered Kosher, and that if a sugar is certified Kosher ( a big K, or U with a circle around it) there is no way it has been filtered thru cattle bones.  Now, I should have known better than to believe him, but people who practice eating Kosher have extremely high standards, and are very strict, in fact MUCH more than strict vegans, in my opinion. 

To be fair, the filtration process, is simply that....a process, and does not mean there is actual bones in the sugar.  It is, by definition, not vegan, because it is a by product of an industry exploiting and murdering innocent animals.  I strive to live a life as cruelty free as possible, and therefor I do not wish to consume these sugars.  The problem is, after speaking with the Rabbi, I stopped calling companies to check their standards, and instead began considering any sugar with a Kosher symbol on the package, as vegan.  Imperial Sugar, being my go-to option for recipes, is based in Sugarland, TX, and was a small company for many years, before being bought out by a private investor in 2012.  I endorsed this sugar for a long time, before wandering on to the PETA website which has an updated list of what is and what's not vegan, and finding Imperial on the carbon filtration list.  I was shocked, and called Imperial, only to have them say, that indeed all of their sugars are filtered thru natural carbon, and is considered "unsuitable for vegans."  Bumming out, I began to call a bunch of other sugar companies that are certified Kosher, and got the same response most times.  

So, I have come to a pretty solid conclusion, and I hope this can help anyone else who is confused and annoyed with this situation.  
Always assume the sugar is filtered thru cattle bones...UNLESS it is...

Organic Sugar-
Organic sugars are packaged to have their natural color, and therefor do not need to be filtered to have a pearly white hue. 

Pure Cane Sugar-
Pure cane sugars, are meant to be completely pure and natural, and although some may have a white color, these are only considered pure if filtered naturally, not thru carbon.

Turbinado Sugar-
These sugars are offended referred to as "Sugar in the Raw," and are larger crystals with a darker hue. They are pure cane sugars that get their name from being spun in a cylinder in the creation process.

Sucanat-
The name refers to "SUgar CANe NATural," and is completely unrefined, with nothing being added, and nothing taking out in the creation process.

Also, Whole Foods makes a great granulated sugar that is labeled VEGAN on the front of the package really big.  

Florida Crystals is a sugar plant in south Florida that does not use bone filtration, and can be bought at most grocery stores, with a label stating "Carbon Free."  That plant is actually owned by Domino, which is the largest sugar producer in the country, and although you cannot be sure where Domino sugars are made when buying it at the grocery store, there is a way to purchase it in bulk directly from that one Florida Crystals plant, making it an option for vegan bakeries such as Vegan Treats in Bethleham, PA and most currently, for Green in San Antonio as well.  

I want to apologize if I have ever misdirected you towards Imperial Sugar, and explain that things change all the time, and is very difficult to keep track of what companies are doing what.  I had reached a state of comfort in my veganism, where I was no longer being diligent about certain brands or items, and thru this dilemma, regained my fury.  It is just such a confusing and annoying situation when you want to use Ketchup and have to choose a high fructose corn syrup, because it's vegan, but most likely GMO, over a sugar, because it's been filtered with bones.  I want to encourage you to make choices that you feel most comfortable with, and strive to learn and be aware of what you are supporting with your dollars.  Being vegan is a never ending learning experience, and is completely different for everyone.  As long as we are all trying as hard as we can to live cruelty free and not be apathetic, we will make a difference in our impact on this planet, and help our friends, the animals, along the way.  

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