Bone Char reply

[capersmama]

I emailed my local Winn Dixie store enquiring about their Thrifty Maid sugar. Was it manufactured with bone char...here are 2 replies from the 2 manufacturers. I found it interesting..just thought Id pass it along:

1)The animal bones used to manufacture the natural charcoal > used in sugar refining are sourced only from animals that have died a > natural death - not bones from slaughtered or diseased animals. This is > the > information our supplier of natural charcoal, Brimac, provides us. > > At our Baltimore and Chalmette cane sugar refinery locations, we utilize > natural charcoal (bonechar) for decolorization and deashing of sugar > liquor. This natural charcoal is animal derived. During the cane refining > process, sugar liquor passes across the natural charcoal bed and > impurities (colorants and inorganic constituents) from the liquor are > transferred to the internal pores - the charcoal does not transfer > impurities to the sugar solution. In addition, this natural charcoal > product is not soluble in either water or liquid sugar. Subsequent > processing operations after decolorization include evaporation and further > purification by crystallization. The highly pure refined sugar produced > from our process does not contain any actual impurity from the natural > charcoal during its contact. As a result, I would consider our products to > meet vegan requirements in every respect. > > Our products also do not contain dairy products, so they would be > considered lacto-ovo vegetarian. > > Should you have any questions, please give me a call


2)VEGETARIAN STATEMENT





Sucrose manufactured by Imperial Sugar Company and its subsidiary are made from sugar beets and raw cane sugar, neither of which are comes from animal.

Imperial Sugar cane sugar refineries utilize bone char as a filtration media to remove color and other impurities from sugar. Bone char is not an additive ingredient to the sugar as sold. Imperial Sugar also produces beet sugar at its Western US locations, which do not use bone char in the purification process.

[Erin Pavlina]

The bone char issue is interesting.

Bone char is not an ingredient in sugar, it's just in the filter. So if no bone char ends up in the product is it vegan or not?

I read something recently, though I can't remember the source, that our tap water is also filtered through bone char. So if you drink tap water, is that not vegan either?

What do you guys think?

[Erin Pavlina]

Yes, exactly! The rubber from our tires, the glue in the crates our veggies come in on, tap water, etc.

You've got to pick your battles and draw your boundaries. One step at a time.

Some vegans would rather eat honey than sugar. Some vegans will eat both. Some will eat sugar but not honey. You just gotta decide what your boundaries are.

[capersmama]

Am I the only one who found <<<<1)The animal bones used to manufacture the natural charcoal > used in sugar refining are sourced only from animals that have died a > natural death - not bones from slaughtered or diseased animals>>>>>> this humorous?? <grin> How on earth do they know an animal died a natural death??? lol..silly!

[Emily]

"not from diseased animals"

I find that funny. It's something I would just assume!

Emily