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Nutrition
Say No To Bone Char!
A List of Bone Char Free Vegan Sugar Companies
Sugar comes from two sources – sugar cane and sugar beets.
Bone char is widely used by the sugar industry as a decolorizing filter, which allows sugar to achieve its white color. The bone char is made from the bones of cattle from countries like Afghanistan, Argentina, India and Pakistan. The bones are sold to traders who then sell them to the U.S. sugar industry.
Bone char is used in many types of sugar including brown sugar and confectioner’s sugar.
The supermarket brands of sugar obtain their sugar from several different refineries, making it next to impossible to know whether it has been filtered with bone char. Beet sugar is considered vegan because it’s never processed with bone char.
This bone char filter process is unacceptable to many vegans.
Even if you’re not vegan, you have reason to be concerned about refined sugars and bone char.
Due to health concerns, the FDA prohibits the use of bones from the United States’ meat industry which is why the bones are imported. Also, the bones are required to come from animals that die of natural causes, but no one is monitoring that.
Fortunately there are vegan sugars on the market, but it takes a little effort to purchase. If you can’t find vegan sugar at your local market, I recommend going online. Here is a list of vegan sugars available on Amazon. If you know of any others, please share.
NOTE: JAN 2020: Since bone char is not on the National Organic Program’s National List of allowed substances, certified USDA organic sugar cannot be filtered through bone char.
Zulka – an Ordinary Vegan favorite and available at most mainstream grocery stores!
Wholesome Sweeteners Fair Trade Organic Sugar
Wholesome Sweeteners Fair Trade Organic Light Brown Sugar
Wholesome Sweeteners Fair Trade Organic Dark Brown Sugar
Now Foods Beet Sugar
Trader Joe’s Organic Sugar Evaporated Cane Juice
Sugar In The Raw
Rapunzel Rapadura
Woodstock Farms Organic Pure Cane Sugar
Florida Crystals Organic Cane Sugar
Red Path Sugar
Billingtons
The Raw Cane
Sprouts Sugar
Kirkland Organic Sugar – Costco
American Crystal Beet Sugar
Roger’s Sugars – note: Bone char is not used in Vancouver any more
** It has been brought to my attention that Florida Crystals Organic Cane Sugar may be responsible for pollution problems in Florida. Here are some articles regarding it**
https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/angry-about-floridas-ruined-waters-fishermen-unite-against-big-sugar-8475700
https://www.floridacrystals.com/algae-facts-response
https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/06/06/florida-sugar-industry-backs-adam-putnam-governor/651146002/
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123 responses to “Say No To Bone Char!”
Both regular (non-organic) sugars and non-organic chocolates involve slavery. Cane sugar involves bone char and GMOs (beet sugar). If you are not buying organic, beware. Supporting Halloween (a fake holiday, btw) deceives children in America and supports these two junk “foods.” Great films to watch include “They’re Trying to Kill Us,” and this Reveal YouTube podcast about modern day slavery in the Dominican Republic. (From 2022) ~~~~~> |..Sugar is a big part of Americans’ daily diet, but we rarely ask where that sweet cane comes from.
In November, the United States announced that it will block all imports of raw sugar from one of those sources: the cane fields owned by the Central Romana Corp. in the Dominican Republic. U.S. Customs and Border Protection cited labor abuses in its decision. Sugar from Central Romana feeds into the supply chains of major U.S. brands, including Domino and Hershey.
The federal government’s action follows a two-year investigation by Reveal and Mother Jones. Reporters Sandy Tolan and Euclides Cordero Nuel visited Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic who do the backbreaking work of cutting sugarcane for little pay. Central Romana is the Dominican Republic’s largest private employer and has strong links to two powerful Florida businessmen, Alfonso and Pepe Fanjul. The reporters speak to workers who have no access to government pensions, so they’re forced to work in the fields into their 80s for as little as $3 a day. In the 1990s, Tolan reported on human trafficking and child labor in the Dominican sugar industry. Conditions improved following pressure on the government from local activists, human rights groups and the U.S. Labor Department. But major problems have persisted.
After Reveal’s story first aired in fall 2021, Congress took action. Fifteen members of the House Ways and Means Committee called on federal agencies to formulate a plan to address what they called the “slave-like conditions” in the Dominican cane fields. Central Romana also took action: It bulldozed one of the worker camps our reporters visited, claiming it was part of an improvement program. Residents say that with very little warning, they were told to pack up their lives. Central Romana denies the U.S. government’s recent findings that its cane cutters are working under forced labor conditions….| The Bitter Work Behind Sugar [Reveal podcast] ~~~ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6SHZA_zWxQ
Current USDA Organic standards do not allow bone char. If you see the USDA Organic label on sugar, you can be sure it is vegan. Another brand is Safeway/Albertson’s/Von’s–it’s all the same massive conglomerate operatiing under different names throughout America. Their house organic O brand sugar all carry the USDA Organic seal.
Thanks for stopping by Doug and for the info
For all those who dine at PF Chang’s restaurant, they offer several vegetarian items on their menu, which PETA claims are vegan. Well, actually they’re not according to the chef at my local PF Chang’s here in Fort Myers, Florida. All of their sauces and soy sauces are sweetened with bone char sugar.
We get around it by ordering the Buddha’s Feast, steamed, with their organic gluten free Tamari sauce, you just need to bring your own Vegan sweetener. Sorry if I ruined anyone’s favorite dining spot.Joe – that is so interesting. Thank you for sharing.
I was wondering about what other vegans think of Monk fruit sugar?
I have read that sweeteners made with monk fruit don’t impact blood sugar levels. Making it a good option for people watching their blood sugar levels and weight. There is no evidence that monk fruit has any downside to date. Hope that helps and thanks for dropping by Monica! Happy New Year
o, and almost forgot–though beet sugar is not processed with bone char, sugar beets are normally GMO–however, the FDA decided that since beet sugar is so highly processed, all traces of GMO have been removed. what a hunk of BS. this ruling was made for the benefit of the industry. sheesh.
Thank you so much for sharing that. It is a good reminder.
i use zulka moreno sugar, which is essentially evaporated cane juice. love it!
We love Zulka – my all time fav!! They were promoting bone-char free sugar way before the news about bone char in sugar became popular.
Is Belbake sugar at Lidl’s vegan?
Hi Joe – Unfortunately – I can’t find a straight answer. If it is made from beets, then it should be vegan. Also, if you want to make sure your sugar is vegan, buy organic. Hope that helps and thanks for stopping by.
Cane refineries process raw cane sugar to make refined sugar. Raw sugar is 98% sucrose and 2% of impurities. The 2% of impurities is cane molasses. The cane refining process is better understood as a purification or separation process that removes the 2% of impurities. The refining process does not alter the 98% of the naturally occurring sucrose in the raw sugar.
Animal bone char attracts and removes impurities. The animal bone char is a filtering agent, and does not become part of the final product. The animal bone char does not bleach the sugar. No bleaching occurs anywhere in the process. White is the natural color of pure sugar after the removal of the 2% of impurities.
The cows are not raised and killed for the purpose of making bone char. Bone char is the least valuable part of the animal. That bone char is used in the cane refining process is not the cause of a single cow anywhere in the world to be killed.
The chemical formula for sucrose (white refined sugar that you buy at the grocery store) is C12-H22-O11. All white refined sugar, regardless of whether cane or beet, regardless of refining (purification) process, is exactly the same chemically, functionally, nutritionally.
Raw sugar, turbinado sugar, unrefined sugar, etc are not healthier, more nutritious, or better for you in any way because these products are 98% sucrose (white refined sugar) and 2% impurities, or molasses. The 2% of molasses has no nutritional benefits that are better for you.
These products do have a nice flavor because of the 2% molasses, but that is the only benefit.
I hope this information helps to make the ethical choices that are important to you. Although animal bone char is not on the approved list, no animals are killed for the purpose of making animal bone char. The animal was already deceased for other reasons
You also forgot the Kirkland brand of organic sugar from Costco!
Thank you Sara for the heads up and for being part of our healthy community!
Any organic sugar is not made with bone char. Costco probably has the best price. I have tried just about every stevia and the best I have tasted is sold by a company called Znaturalfoods.com. I buy a 1 pound bag and it lasts about a year and a half. It’s been debittered to remove the aftertaste. It’s great with coffee, tea, smoothies, etc
I am going to try that stevia William – Thanks for the heads up and for stopping by! Nancy
Hi! Thank you for posting this! I was really looking for this information. Unfortunately, a lot of vegans think that all sugar is vegan. I hope that they find this article and read it.
Florida Crystals is the company contributing to the toxic algae in Florida.
Thank you so much for bringing that to my attention. I appreciate it.
I switched to coconut sugar some time ago. Doesn’t absorb into the bloodstream as fast and I can just use a 1/2 a teaspoon in my coffee now versus what I was using. Not fully vegan yet but about 90% so far. I’m loving it too!
Congratulations on your compassionate diet Dana and thanks for being part of our healthy community!
Azure Standard sells all kinds of organic, GF products, including a variety of sugars.
Thanks for letting us know Janet!
I’m lucky to be living in Canada! Red Path sugar is probably the most common and widely used. I’m not a full vegan but am working toward it. I don’t think that I would make a huge deal over sugar especially because I don’t think this is commonly known. Avoiding sugar isn’t a bad thing anyway. :p
Thanks for contributing Steven and congratulations on working towards a compassionate diet.
You can make your own brown sugar with turbinado and molasses 1 cup:1T
You can make your own confectioners sugar with turbinado and corn starch
1 C:1 T then pulverize it in a blenderThanks for sharing Darren and thanks for being part of our community!
thank you for that information Darren! I have been using turbinado sugar for 30 years, when my first son was born, trying to avoid the refined sugar intake, but not really knowing what I was doing! (pre-internet!)
Thanks for your answers to the sugar problem, I’m glad to hear Tate and Lyle are vegan. I’m vegetarian and just starting out as vegan, labelling is a minefield, still, I like a challenge and it’ll be worth it to safeguard animals.
Hey, thanks for the information! For those in the UK like me, all of Tate and Lyle’s sugars (white and brown) and syrups are vegan with the exception of their powdered sugar which contains egg white. I was massively relieved to find this out as you can pretty much find their products everywhere!
Thanks for the information Ren!
Is sugar actually vegan? How do you know that animals aren’t dying when they burn the sugar fields? Seem like a lot of mice and frogs would be killed in the process. To me if something dies to make the product it’s not vegan. Are any of these sugars made without burning the cane fields?
Nothing is perfect; unfortunately all crops will have some collateral damage, whether it be an insect stepped on, or a mouse being crushed by equipment. We can only aim for the least damage possible. That being said, beet sugar does not involve burning fields. It does often involve GMOs, however.
Burning a field seems like there would be a lot more collateral damage than a tractor driving through a field, just saying. Not to mention how much of the worlds rain forests that are cut down to grow sugar. Humans don’t need refined sugar to survive.
I have to say I agree, and prefer to buy beet sugar when I can, despite the GMO status. But GMOs have their own environmental effects, and a lot of unknowns, so I can’t say that’s an obvious choice for most people.
Organic sugar cane producers are not permitted to burn the fields if they want to keep their organic status.
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