Things you would expect to be vegetarian which often aren't.

[Missy Wombat]

Some foods that you assume are at least vegetarian are not anymore thanks to the umpteen additives included for a variety of commercial reasons. Here is a place to list those products that have caught you or others out...

[Missy Wombat]

Cream and yoghurt should be vegetarian but many brands often include gelatine which is derived from cattle carcasses. It is becoming really hard to find 100% cream in my neck of the woods while 10 years ago it was the norm.
Here in Australia kosher gelatine is not normally available. In other countries kosher goods usually are vegetarian.

[food girl II]

Worchesterchire (sp??) sauce. Has anchovies. Blew me away

[Mirj]

food girl II wrote:
Worchesterchire (sp??) sauce. Has anchovies. Blew me away

That's a well-known fact for those of us that keep kosher. We customarily don't mix fish with meat.

I was once sent some Worcestershire sauce from America, it had milk solids in it. For those who are vegan it's a problem, for those of us who keep kosher it's even a bigger problem.

[EdsGirlAngie]

Missy Wombat wrote:
Cream and yoghurt should be vegetarian but many brands often include gelatine which is derived from cattle carcasses. It is becoming really hard to find 100% cream in my neck of the woods while 10 years ago it was the norm.
Here in Australia kosher gelatine is not normally available. In other countries kosher goods usually are vegetarian.

I almost always find that the cheaper or low-fat brands of sour cream, yogurt, etc. have thickeners like gelatin...

[sqrl]

Mirj wrote:

food girl II wrote:
Worchesterchire (sp??) sauce. Has anchovies. Blew me away

That's a well-known fact for those of us that keep kosher. We customarily don't mix fish with meat.

I was once sent some Worcestershire sauce from America, it had milk solids in it. For those who are vegan it's a problem, for those of us who keep kosher it's even a bigger problem.

I have recently purchased a veg*n worchestershire sauce. Its tasty and fairly affordable. There are also *dried* worchestershire powders that are veg*n. Let me know if you need resources.

[Mirj]

sqrl wrote:

Mirj wrote:

food girl II wrote:
Worchesterchire (sp??) sauce. Has anchovies. Blew me away

That's a well-known fact for those of us that keep kosher. We customarily don't mix fish with meat.

I was once sent some Worcestershire sauce from America, it had milk solids in it. For those who are vegan it's a problem, for those of us who keep kosher it's even a bigger problem.

I have recently purchased a veg*n worchestershire sauce. Its tasty and fairly affordable. There are also *dried* worchestershire powders that are veg*n. Let me know if you need resources.

Thanks for the offer, but I've just learned to do without. They make a local, kosher, vegan brand here, but it's vile.

[Hadice]

Gelatin: marshmallows, starbursts, jello,
Anchovies: most Caesar Dressings, Newmans Own Italian dressings

many campbells soups use chicken or beef stock (even the vegetable soup!)
Many fast food places use lard instead of oil to fry their potatoes

More to come as I think of them...

Oh! Twinkies (the thred in EE reminded me) and almost anything Hostess.

[VegeMight]

It's only recently that I've been able to buy thickened cream that uses vegetable gums, and not gelatine.

I've noticed most flavoured yoghurt is still thickened with gelatine - luckily natural is my favourite, and the best brands are gelatine-free.

A lot of seasoning mixes have chicken or fish extracts - I always read the labels before I buy!

[Linorama]

I was really mad when I found out that soy cheese is NOT vegan.

[Mirj]

Hadice wrote:
Gelatin: Oreos, marshmallows, starbursts, jello,

Correction -- Oreos used to have gelatin. They are now certified kosher and have no animal products in them whatsoever.

[Missy Wombat]

Some alcoholic drinks.
Animal derived products such as isinglass [from fish bladders] may be used in the fining or clearing process.

Beer - most of the cask conditioned beers have used isinglass. Bottled naturally conditioned beers will not always have been treated with isinglass. Keg Beers and Lagers are pasteurised and usually passed through Chill Filters, as are canned beers and some bottled beers, however a considerable number of breweries still use isinglass to clear their pasturised beers, though sometimes only to rescue selected batches which are considered too hazey. Also occasionally the sometimes animal derived additive Glyceryl Monostearate is used in place of 900 Dimethylpolysiloxane as a foam-control agent in the production of keg beers.

Most cider [gelatine in the fining process].

Wine. Finings can be isinglass, gelatin, egg albumen, modified casein (from milk), chitin (derived from the shells of crabs or lobsters) or ox blood (rarely used today). But alternatives do exist in the form of bentonite, kieselguhr, kaolin and silica gel or solution. Also newer methods such as centrefuging and filtering are becoming more popular. The majority of organic wines do not use animal derived finings - but some do.

Spirits.
Most are okay although you may need to check the malt whiskys, blended whisky and Spanish brandies. Brandy itself is fine but the cask it is in may not be. Also some vodkas.
Port except the crusted port are fined using gelatin.

Cochineal E120 is present in Campari, some red wines and soft drinks. Cochineal is the extract of the red body material from pregnant scale insects of the species Dactilopius Coccus.

[justcallmejulie]

My SIL is a vegetarian and she freaked out when I told her that the zinc oxide she was putting across her nose had shark liver oil in it. Seriously, read the label.

Whole Foods Market carries a vegan worcestershire sauce and it tastes just fine. I'm out at the moment or I would cite the label here.

[Hadice]

I just remembered. I was looking for a sleep aid a couple of months ago. While I was doing my research , I discovered that certain brands of melotin have female horse brains (it produces a certain hormone) Many other prescription drugs have horse brains and shell pieces from beetles to color those gel cap pills...

[justcallmejulie]

Hadice wrote:
I just remembered. I was looking for a sleep aid a couple of months ago. While I was doing my research , I discovered that certain brands of melotin have female horse brains (it produces a certain hormone) Many other prescription drugs have horse brains and shell pieces from beetles to color those gel cap pills...

O M F G!