I was looking at common questions people have regarding vanilla extract and was surprised that this was the first question that came up! Here's the short answer, NO!
Almost all vanilla extracts whether pure, natural, or imitation are vegan and do not contain any ingredients derived from animals or animal products.
But where does this crazy question come from? Well, historically, there was a flavoring agent that was used in some foods called castoreum. Castoreum is derived from beaver glands and is used by the beaver to mark its territory and make its coat more water proof. This flavoring agent was found to have a deep, musky, and somewhat vanilla-scented flavor and sometimes was used to flavor foods historically. Today, however, this flavoring agent has been widely abandoned by the food industry.
Flavors in particular are more versatile when they contain few complicated ingredients. When I say complicated ingredients, I refer to those ingredients that cause controversy or prevent customers from obtaining food certifications.
Some of our most frequently requested food documents are for vegan, vegetarian, and animal testing certifications and statements. If a company were to choose to add castoreum to vanilla extract, it could not supply its products to customers making vegan products.
These certifications and statements are such a concern in our industry that our entire facility is allergen-free, gluten-free, vegan, and non-GMO.
Castoreum is technically considered safe and is approved by the FDA, but it is simply not an ingredient used in modern food production in the US. Not only are there ethical concerns in how this ingredient is sourced, but it also strong and rather unpleasant, not to mention it definitely has a gross factor that would be off-putting to most customers.
So, at the end of the day, you can rest assured that your vanilla extract, no matter the quality or the source does not contain flavoring agents that are derived from beaver glands.
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