Brown sugar is used in recipes such as cookies and cakes however you may not be too sure about how it is manufactured. If you are a vegan, you will most certainly mind the slightest possibility of having non-vegan elements in your diet. Brown sugar and generally most of the other types of sugar are derived from sugarcane and beets and for this first step, check!

The filtration process is what raises all the questions about whether brown sugar is fit for vegans or not. If manufacturing involves bone char, it is an outright put off to the vegan because the use of bone char is a disregard to animal welfare.

We know bone char is made from cow bones, which means that a number of them are slaughtered just to process sugar which is a sad fact. In fact, the FDA has stood against this method in the US, the main reason why it is prohibited. Sugar manufacturing companies are left with the option of importing from countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India.

Does that mean vegans should avoid sugar at all costs? If possible, yes, but fortunately there are companies that have vegans’ interests at heart. You cannot miss vegan labeled sugars in the stores if you look hard enough. Alternatively, get them from your nearest organic stores as you’ll most likely find them here. Vegan sugar is processed using liquid sugar which does not require bone char to refine.
Such companies include:

• Yonkers in New York
• The Raw Cane
• Red Path Sugar
• Evaporated Cane Juice
• Wholesome Sweeteners Fair Trade Organic Sugar

You can also order your vegan brown sugar online but take care that you don’t pick one with too many fillers, you may just be having it non-vegan without knowing.

And this is how you can make your own brown sugar at home:

Which vegan brown sugar brand do you use?