Dietary indexes
An ingredients list names an additive, not what it was made from. These lists gather the additives where that matters to a diet: those made from animal material, and those whose source is not fixed. Each entry links to its page, which says what it is made from.
- Additives that are not vegetarian23
Made from slaughtered animals, fish, crustaceans or insects.
- Additives that are not vegan37
Made from any animal material, including milk, egg, wool and bees.
- Additives whose source is not fixed132
May be plant, animal, microbial or synthetic, and a label will not say which.
- Additives that may raise a halal question150
An animal, insect or alcohol origin, possible or certain, that halal rules address.
- Additives that may raise a kosher question158
An animal, insect or dairy origin, possible or certain, that kashrut addresses.
Separately, additives and the EU allergen list gathers additives made from, or that may be made from, milk, egg, soy, wheat, fish, crustaceans or mustard, the sulphites the list names, and the exceptions it makes.
How to read these lists
They describe additives, not foods. A food made without any of these additives can still contain animal material through a processing aid, a carrier or another ingredient, and none of that has to be declared as an additive.
“Source not fixed” is an answer, not a gap. Many additives are defined by what they are and what they do, not by what they are made from. The fats behind the E471 emulsifiers can be plant or animal. Manufacturers need not say which, and a product can change source between batches. Only the manufacturer can tell you.
Halal and kosher entries mark a question, not a ruling. Whether a product is halal or kosher depends on its source and processing, and on the certifying authority, and authorities differ. This site does not certify anything. Look for a certification mark or ask the certifier.
There is no list of vegan additives. On an additive’s page, “vegan” means the entry found no animal starting material. Gathered into a list, the same word would read as a claim that foods using those additives suit a vegan diet, which is more than it can support.
947 of 1189 additives carry dietary flags. The rest are food-contact materials, such as lead solder, which are not ingredients. The flags are written from each additive’s derivation, not computed from a source.