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Aisle guide

Pantry staples

The cupboard is where source-dependent additives live quietly: vanilla extract, sauces, bread mix, and anything that lists E471 or enzymes without a feedstock.

• Disputed

  Vanilla extract

  Real vanilla extract is vanilla beans steeped in alcohol and water. Whether that alcohol carrier matters is one of the most genuinely contested questi…

• Unverified

  Vanilla Bean

  Vanilla Bean (Vanilla planifolia): a plant-derived flavouring ingredient. No external A or B source currently classifies it. Insufficient evidence.

• Source-dependent

  Natural flavors

  'Natural flavor' is the least informative word pair on the label — a regulated term that covers hundreds of compounds, some animal-derived, many alcoh…

• Source-dependentE471

  Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

  The emulsifier in bread, ice cream, margarine and peanut butter. The same E-number covers palm-oil production and pig-fat production, and food law doe…

• Source-dependentE322

  Lecithin

  One of the most common emulsifiers in chocolate and baked goods. Commercial lecithin is overwhelmingly soy or sunflower; the label rarely needs chasin…

• Source-dependentE422

  Glycerin (glycerol)

  A sweet humectant that keeps foods moist. The molecule is identical whether it came from palm oil or pig fat — which is exactly why the source has to …

• Source-dependent

  Enzymes and rennet

  Enzymes make cheese curdle, bread rise and juice clear. They can be grown in a fermentation tank or cut from a calf's stomach — and the label just say…

• Source-dependentE441

  Gelatin

  The single most important ingredient to check in processed food. Gelatin is a protein boiled from animal skin, bones and connective tissue — and in We…

• Source-dependent

  Mayonnaise

  An emulsion of oil and egg (or aquafaba in vegan jars). Egg from a lawful bird is not the usual doubt. Emulsifiers, flavourings and ‘light’ starch ble…

• Source-dependent

  Hummus

  Chickpea and sesame dip. The base is plant. Supermarket pots still add emulsifiers, preservatives and sometimes a yogurt swirl. The word hummus is not…

• Unverified

  Tahini

  Ground sesame seed. The seed is plant. A jar that also lists emulsifier or a blended ‘tahini sauce’ still needs those rows. Unverified as a class only…

• Source-dependent

  Pesto

  A basil-and-oil sauce. The leaf and the oil are plant. The cheese is the usual doubt — Parmigiano-style hard cheese in a green jar follows the parmesa…

• Source-dependent

  Oat milk

  Oats blended with water. The grain is plant. Barista cartons add rapeseed oil and emulsifiers; some add D2 or D3. Fortified D3 follows the vitamin D r…

• Source-dependent

  Soy milk

  Soybeans plus water. Plant base. Calcium salts, flavourings and vitamin D fortification are the remaining checks. Not a ruling on tofu or soy sauce.

• Source-dependent

  Chicken stock

  A named meat stock. The bird and the slaughter decide it. Cubes and powders add flavour enhancers (E621, ribonucleotides) and sometimes hydrolysed pro…

• Source-dependent

  Bouillon

  A marketing name for a stock cube or powder. Vegetable bouillon is one path; chicken or beef is another. Flavour enhancers and the fat used to press t…

• Unverified

  Golden syrup

  Partially inverted cane or beet sugar syrup. The sugar is plant. No A/B class ruling is on file. Not the same as black treacle or agave.

A procedure for reading a pack - not a product certification and not a fatwa. See the methodology.