At one point in all of our lives, whether directly from the cane, or as a byproduct in a food product, we have all consumed cane sugar. Here in South Florida, cane sugar is available everywhere and used daily in various foods. Knowing this sugar is derived from a plant, one would not think to question if cane sugar was vegan or not. If you are unaware of this, please pay attention and take notes. Not all cane sugar produced in the United States and overseas can be considered vegan. This has nothing to do with the plant source itself, which is 100% vegan. Instead it has to do with the process of turning the plant into the granulated form that we see today. Before you purchase another bag of cane sugar, please read the label or contact the company directly and ask if they use "Bone Char" when processing the sugar.
What is Bone Char?
Bone char is a product derived from cattle bones and is used primarily for decolorizing and filtering various consumable products. It is made by heating cattle bones at extremely high temperatures in a sealed vessel with very low oxygen levels.
Bone char is used in the commercial sugar filtration process in order to achieve the white color that we all have become so familiar with for generations. Bone char is even used in the processing of some brown sugars and others.
Bone Char Free Sugar Company List
Woodstock Organic Cane Sugar
Cane sugar alternatives
Although cane sugar is abundant and available everywhere, we try our best to use alternative plant based sugars whenever
possible. Here is a list of some of the alternatives to cane sugar that we use.
Granulated
Liquids & pastes