How to Read UK Food Labels as a Vegan: 5 Things to Look For

UK food labelling laws are actually helpful for vegans once you know what to look for. Allergen regulations require certain ingredients to be highlighted, which makes spotting animal products much faster than reading every word. Here are the five things you need to know.

1. Bold text is your friend

UK law requires the 14 major allergens to be emphasised in the ingredients list, usually in bold. Four of these are animal-derived: milk, eggs, fish, and crustaceans. A quick scan for bold text will catch most non-vegan ingredients instantly. However, this doesn’t catch everything — honey, gelatine, and animal-derived E-numbers are not allergens and will not be highlighted.

2. “May contain” is about traces, not ingredients

“May contain traces of milk” means the product is made in a factory that also handles milk. It does not mean milk is an ingredient. Most vegans are comfortable eating products with “may contain” warnings because it’s a contamination issue, not an ethical one. This is different from “contains milk” which means it is an actual ingredient. Our scanner at Is It Vegan? analyses actual ingredients, not “may contain” warnings.

3. The Vegan Society trademark

The yellow sunflower logo from the Vegan Society is the gold standard. If a product carries this logo, it has been independently verified as containing no animal products and not tested on animals. However, many products that are vegan do not carry the logo (brands have to pay for certification), so the absence of the logo does not mean a product is not vegan.

4. E-numbers to watch

Some E-numbers are animal-derived but you would never guess from the name. The main ones to watch are:

• E120 (Carmine / Cochineal) — red dye from crushed insects
• E441 (Gelatine) — from animal bones and skin
• E542 (Bone phosphate) — from animal bones
• E901 (Beeswax) — from bees
• E904 (Shellac) — secretion from lac insects
• E1105 (Lysozyme) — from eggs

For the full list, see our complete UK vegan E-numbers guide.

5. Tricky terms that sound vegan but might not be

• Natural flavourings — could be plant or animal derived. Impossible to tell without contacting the manufacturer.
• Vitamin D3 — often derived from lanolin (sheep’s wool). Some is plant-derived (from lichen). Check the product.
• Lecithin — usually from soya (vegan) but can be from egg. If it says “soya lecithin” or “sunflower lecithin”, it’s vegan.
• Whey — dairy byproduct. Not vegan. Often in crisps, protein bars, and chocolate.
• Casein / caseinate — milk protein. Not vegan. Found in some non-dairy creamers and cheeses.

When in doubt, scan the product with Is It Vegan? and we’ll check every ingredient for you.