Our Methodology
How we decide whether an ingredient is vegan, not vegan, or depends — and how to tell when to trust us versus when to verify with the manufacturer.
Definition of vegan
We follow The Vegan Society's definition: a vegan ingredient or product excludes all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals — meat, dairy, eggs, honey, insect-derived dyes, fish-derived clarifiers, animal-derived processing aids. Bee products (honey, beeswax, royal jelly) are excluded.
Three verdicts
- Vegan (✅): The ingredient contains no animal-derived material in any standard production process.
- Not vegan (❌): The ingredient is always or almost always derived from animals or insects.
- Depends: The ingredient can come from plants or animals depending on the supplier. Returned with a medium-confidence flag and guidance to verify with the brand.
Confidence levels
- High: Origin is unambiguous (e.g. casein is always milk-derived; xanthan gum is always plant-fermented).
- Medium: Origin varies by supplier and is rarely declared on labels (e.g. lecithin, glycerin, mono- and diglycerides).
- Low: We don't publish “low confidence” verdicts. Where evidence is poor, we mark the ingredient as “Depends” with a note explaining what to ask the manufacturer.
Sources we trust
Every ingredient page cites at least one of:
- FDA — for US food regulation, color additives, and natural flavor definitions.
- EFSA — for E-number safety re-evaluations and EU additive law.
- NIH ODS — for vitamin and supplement bioavailability and recommended intake.
- The Vegan Society — for the foundational definition and ingredient guidance.
- Peer-reviewed nutrition research where the question is contested (e.g. D2 vs. D3 efficacy).
Review cadence
Each entry shows a “last verified” date. We re-check every ingredient at least quarterly and immediately if a regulatory change or a major brand reformulation is reported. Restaurant and store guides are reviewed quarterly because chains reformulate often.
Corrections
Spotted a mistake or an outdated claim? Email hello@scanvegan.com. We log corrections in the “last verified” field and acknowledge significant updates publicly.
Read more on the about page, or jump straight to the ingredient database.