Those striving to make vegan food are primarily focused on one dietary requirement: protein. Whilst the human diet has traditionally sourced protein from meat, there are a growing number of vegan products sourcing it from plants like lentils and chickpeas.
Vegan products shouldn’t be mistaken for plant-based ones, especially when it comes to food. All vegan food is plant-based but not all plant-based food is vegan. Although some foodstuffs source protein from plants, they can still contain or be made using secondary ingredients that are sourced from animals.
For example, Guinness wasn’t made using animal products but was filtered using isinglass, made from fish bladders, which made it unsuitable for vegans. Drinks-maker Diageo has now stopped using isinglass to make Guinness a vegan-friendly option, and has made vegan alternatives to other beverages in its portfolio, such as Baileys.
It’s also worth mentioning ‘cultured’ foods, better known as lab-grown meat. Protein is grown in a bioreactor using ingredients such as sugar, creating ‘meat’ without having to rear an animal.