Oranges are one of nature’s best snacks. Fruits and veggies are often assumed to be vegan & vegetarian friendly, but this is not always true.
So what vegan or vegetarian unfriendly ingredients lie in your oranges? Here is an example we found at Wegman’s:
“oranges coated with food-grade vegetable, beeswax, and or lac resin based wax or resin to maintain freshness.”
Lac resin comes from beetle excretions and beeswax comes from bees. They serve to protect the skin of the fruit and extend shelf life. While you’re not eating these ingredients, there are people who don’t want the sticky resin of a beetle or a bee on their hands.
These natural ingredients are definitely less toxic than other chemicals that we’ve seen used on oranges, so this is a plus. However, for vegans, and to some extent vegetarians, the use of animal-sourced products in fruits and vegetables is less than ideal when non-animal sources exist. If you’re shopping for vegans it’s not safe to assume that fruits & vegetables are OK. Use Fooducate’s new vegan & vegetarian settings to help discover these little surprises.
