Is Ketchup Vegan?

It’s clear that tomato ketchup, and rich tomatoey condiments and sauces in general play a pivotal role in British eating, but people have been asking; is it vegan?  

Tomato ketchup

This sweet and tangy condiment is one of the most easily identifiable sauces right across the globe. There are many notable ketchup brands, but perhaps none more iconic than Heinz. Traditional recipes included the use of egg whites, mushrooms, oysters, grapes and mussels, but thankfully the practice of those has been long forgotten.

But, are there any animal products involved in tomato ketchup today that would make it unsuitable for anyone on a plant-based diet? A common question is if the brown sugars used to make ketchup have been derived from animal bones. Not a pleasant thought, so let's find out.

Is ketchup vegan? 

Yes, generally tomato ketchup is suitable for vegans. Its core ingredients are usually tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, salt, herbs and spices, all of which are vegan friendly. But the ingredients list isn’t the only thing we need to look at in order to get to the bottom of this question. 

We’ve also got to take a look at the manufacturing process and whether or not that’s vegan friendly too. Let’s think about Heinz:

Is Heinz ketchup vegan? 

Not only are all their ingredients plant-based, when it comes to Heinz tomato ketchup they’ve said ‘we can confirm that the product is suitable for a vegan diet. Our sugar is not refined using bone char from animal bones.’ making it entirely suitable for vegans.

Ask us any other plant-based questions in the comments below.