Why is some sugar not vegan may seem a crazy question. To be fair sugar comes from plants right? So how can it not be vegan then? Well there's obviously more to be known about sugar and specifically how it gets from plant form to the fine sweet white granulated stuff we liberally tip into our drinks, over our desserts and use in a multitude of ways on a daily basis.

The sugar we are so fond of and use so widely comes from two plant sources, sugar cane and sugar beet. It is how the sugar we buy or eat in the many foodstuffs on the shelves is arrived at that determines whether or no it is suitable for vegans. In fact it may be fair to pose the question, why is white sugar not vegan?

Sugar processing

Why is some sugar not vegan is a direct consequence of the refining process. More to the point, the refining process of sugar cane. Many of us may already assume that much of our pristine white granulated sugar is from sugar cane, but how many of us know what makes it white?And it's here we get to the surprising truth as to why some sugar is not vegan as well as why is white sugar not vegan.

To get the sugar from cane, the cane is crushed and the juice separated from the pulp. Then, the juice is heated until it crystallises, before being filtered and bleached with bone char. It is this bone char factor that determines why some sugar is not vegan and in this particular instance, the reason why some white sugar is not vegan. So what is bone char? Seems a reasonable question and the answer, not surprisingly, is a substance obtained from the charred bones of animals. Usually the bones of cattle which are dried before being heated to a whopping 700 degrees C. The bones are effectively reduced into carbon form before the resulting substance is used in the refinery where it acts to bleach and filter the sugar into it's pure white form. Importantly, the finished sugar does not contain any of the bone char carbon particles.

What type of sugar does my chocolate contain?

How can you know what or which type of sugar is in your food. Well thats a problem in itself as there may be a mixture of cane and beet sugar.At times the cane sugar may have been filtered by means of another carbon method, not involving any animal products. The difficulty is in knowing what the manufacturers have used as the labelling is not always clear. Indeed some companies label bone char as 'natural charcoal' just to further complicate things.

Oh, and just to take it a step further, bone char can be used for brown and confectionery sugars too. OK so the idea is to make the sugar white but for the brown bone char derived kind it's simply a matter of reintroducing some of the molasses back into the sugar.

Want to be certain your chocolate contains vegan sugar?

Have a good idea now why some sugar is not vegan or why some white sugar is not vegan? Good news ahead then, you don't need to worry about which it is or how it was formed. Not if it has found it's way into our KAKOA range of vegan chocolates that is. There's a lot to be said for coming to one of the leading vegan Chocolatiers around. Not least the comfort of knowing our chocolates are 100 % guaranteed vegan.

Add to that our responsible attitude towards the environment, with our commitment to sponsor sea grass planting for every order placed and you really can feel good about yourself, your chocolate and your choices.

Plant based genuine vegan and planet friendly chocolate, with a large range (currently largest in the UK) Kakoa really is the go to store for your vegan choices.

Vegan Valentine's collection

It's never too early to win a heart or two. Putting you in with a good chance of winning the one you want are some pretty fine chocolates in our Valentine's collection. Heart shaped of course. Delivered in a stunningly designed package, with centres including our legendary Ultimate Peanut Butter, Tipsy Champagne, Forever Passion Fruit and Dark Side, to name a few. The love of your life is sure to love this collection. It might just be the best decision you've made this year..............

Vegan Iconic collection

If you already have the heart you yearn for, head over to our vegan iconic collection. This beautiful selection can only further cement that mutual affection. Divine Viennese, Superb Cookies and Cream, Awesome Brownie, Legendary Sea Salted Caramel, phew what a line up. That's not all by the way but you can check out the other superb centres when you visit.

The great thing is you just know that vegan is what you want and vegan is what you get from our stunning range. Top that off with a return for the environment in the form of sea grass planting and it really does become a wise choice.