It’s always a good idea to read the ingredients before buying something in the grocery store or ordering something at restaurants, because even products you’ve been eating for a long time may add new, non-Jain ingredients. We’ve compiled a list of common ingredients to watch out for.

Send us your input if you find something that’s not on this list!

• Potato starch in shredded cheese packets
• Chicken broth
• Rennet
• Gelatin (found in products such as marshmallows, Rice Krispie treats, and Starburst)
• Fish and oyster sauces in Pad Thai
• Lard in refried beans
• Carmine (color produced from crushed beetles) in red food coloring and red velvet cake
• Eggs in certain chocolates
• Beet powder and potato in Taco Bell brown beans
• Gelatin in Taco Bell sour cream
• Eggs in pizza pie dough crust
• Domino’s sugar packets – only those manufactured in Orlando and New York are acceptable for Jains (do not contain crushed bones)
• l-cysteine in baked goods (such as bagels)
• Glycerides (mono-, di-, and triglycerides): animal fat mostly found in melted cheese (nacho cheese, except Velveeta brand)
• Beta Carotene: food coloring from beets (most juices and butter contain this)