Vegan chocolate is made without animal products, including milk, and can be made with soy, rice, or nut milk. It may also be organic and fair trade, but consumers should check for potential allergens and sugar sources. Labels should indicate if the chocolate is vegan.
Vegan chocolate is chocolate that is prepared without animal products, making it safe for people on a vegan diet to consume. True vegans do not consume any kind of animal products, including milk, which is one of the main ingredients in many types of chocolate. In the case of vegan chocolate, soy, rice and/or nut milk, as well as other ingredients, can be used to replace the milk. As well as being suitable for vegans, vegan chocolate may also be preferred by people with lactose intolerance or other dietary restrictions.
Traditionally, milk may be added to chocolate during processing to make the chocolate smoother and creamier and to act as a filler. In real milk chocolate, the chocolate is also lighter in texture and flavor. However, even dark chocolate can contain milk or whey, which means that dark chocolate isn’t necessarily vegan.
Companies that produce vegan chocolate can use a completely separate facility to avoid any contact with animal products. If the chocolate is made in a facility that also makes non-vegan chocolate, the wrapper must state that it “may” contain milk. Chocolate bars, truffles, baking chocolate, cocoa, chocolate coatings and a wide variety of other chocolate products can be made vegan.
Another consideration with vegan chocolate is sugar. Some sugar refineries use animal products when processing their sugars. True vegan chocolate will be made with vegan sugar, but not all manufacturers disclose their sugar sources. Consumers who are concerned about following a strict vegan diet may wish to contact the chocolate manufacturer for information on where and how their sugar is processed.
In addition to being vegan, chocolate can also be designated organic if it has been inspected and certified by an agency that verifies organic production methods. It may also be fair trade, indicating that the cocoa beans used in the chocolate have been sourced ethically. Chocolate companies can make extra efforts to avoid ingredients like high fructose corn syrup in their manufacturing processes, and their labels usually provide information about this.
When shopping for chocolate for vegans, it’s wise to select products that are specifically labeled as vegan. People should also consider issues like nut allergies that could complicate which products someone can safely consume. Nuts are commonly used in chocolate, and many chocolates are produced in nut-processing facilities. For people with severe nut allergies, chocolate made in a shared facility can be potentially dangerous.
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