Florida Crystals sugar - vegan?

[Tofu-N-Sprouts]

www.floridacrystals.com/

I LOVE this stuff and I'm hoping it truely is vegan as it claims.

Are they a vegan sugar? Does anyone know anything more?
I know most sugar uses bone char (I think thats the product) ...

Quote from their website "...Florida Crystals Evaporated Cane Juice products are the most natural and earth-friendly sweeteners on the market. They contain no artificial additives or preservatives, and are certified kosher, with no animal products used anywhere in the process..."

So I wrote them and they said the same thing. (BAsically a form letter) but that yes, they were processed with no animal products.

I love sugar - use it a lot. I know, SPARE ME the "It's not good for you" speech, because I know that too. But I like to bake, I like to make goodies, so... I'd like a good sugar product I could use (BESIDES date sugar, maple sugar, all those) and be vegan friendly.

[gkleinman]

It's good stuff, from everything I've seen, it's Vegan

[lijahbaby]

Yes it is vegan :yes:

[carnelian]

I love using Florida Crystals sugar! :up:

[soilman]

It is not particularly healthy. Yes, of course moderate amounts won't harm you. But it is highly refined. White sugar is totally refined. White sugar is US pharmacopia grade sucrose, over 99% pure sucrose. On the other extreme of unrefined to refined, is unrefined cane syrup, that is, Grandma's Mollases (many brands of "light" molasses), and Steen's cane syrup. This is clarified, but beyond that there is not much refinining. Only water is removed. Close to the original ratio of sucrose to other substances, that is found in freshly picked sugar cane, is what you will find in these 2 products.

Taste them. You can use your own tastebuds as a guide. Steens Cane syrup and Grandma's brand molasses taste very similar. Now taste florida crystals -- it has a much less molassesy flavor. Why? Because it is partially refined. It is not as wholly refined as white sugar, but it is far from unrefined.

[soilman]

From their web site

"Separataton:
The mixture of crystals and molasses is separated in a basket
centrifuge to spin out the molasses."

The crystalized sugar is sold as Florida Crystals, the molasses is sold as dark molasses.

This is exactly the same process that is used to produce white sugar. It is the intitial and most substantial step in the refining process. Only after this step, white sugar is evern further refined.

I am glad to see that they are honest about their product, and call it "less processed" rather than unprocessed, and describe the turbine expeller process to separate the molasses component -- which we know take out most of the vitamins and minerals. Most. White sugar, all of the vitamins and minerals have been removed.

I might add that there would be little health benefit in using organically grown cane, since most of the micronutrients are removed. What's the point of growing a product which higher levels of micronutrients, if you are going to remove most of them? Other than perhaps you believe their are environmental advantages -- less pesticides in the environment, less nitrogen runoff into streams. The latter is not likely to be true, as organic growers tend to use fecal matter as a source of nitrogen. This not only is just as bad for nitrogen runoff, but it has the additional problem of adding infectious bacteria to the streams.

[Tofu-N-Sprouts]

I love sugar - use it a lot. I know, SPARE ME the "It's not good for you" speech, because I know that too. But I like to bake, I like to make goodies,...

Thank You... I know sugar is refined, has no nutritional value, etc., etc.
I realize sugar is the 'evil ingredient' in many foods, to many people. But I like it, I cook with it, :chef: I bake with it, I was just hoping this particular brand was vegan.

Molasses makes me break out in hives. :sick:

Thats all, thanks so much.

[bluegrrrl79]

It is not particularly healthy. Yes, of course moderate amounts won't harm you. But it is highly refined. White sugar is totally refined. White sugar is US pharmacopia grade sucrose, over 99% pure sucrose. On the other extreme of unrefined to refined, is unrefined cane syrup, that is, Grandma's Mollases (many brands of "light" molasses), and Steen's cane syrup. This is clarified, but beyond that there is not much refinining. Only water is removed. Close to the original ratio of sucrose to other substances, that is found in freshly picked sugar cane, is what you will find in these 2 products.

Taste them. You can use your own tastebuds as a guide. Steens Cane syrup and Grandma's brand molasses taste very similar. Now taste florida crystals -- it has a much less molassesy flavor. Why? Because it is partially refined. It is not as wholly refined as white sugar, but it is far from unrefined.
Soilman I think it's unfair of you to just come in a thread and start giving guilt trips when it was not asked for. I can see if people were asking what's the healthiest sweetener, but the poster was just asking if a certain type of sugar was made with bone char.

[FalafelsRule]

Based on what I have seen them say, it is vegan. I do prefer turbinado sugar over white sugar, though. Turbinado sugar is vegan.