What to Look for in Vegan Edibles: Label, Lab Test, Dose

What to Look for in Vegan Edibles

Read the ingredient list first. Gelatin, honey, beeswax, carmine, shellac, and confectioner's glaze come from animals. Then match the lot number on the package to a lab COA. Then check the THC milligrams per piece and per package. A "vegan" claim on the front does not confirm any of those three things.

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Ingredient list

THC and CBD are plant compounds, so the cannabinoid is not the problem. The carrier ingredients decide it.

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• Gelatin. Boiled animal collagen. Common in gummies and chews. Vegan gummies use pectin, agar, carrageenan, tapioca starch, or modified corn starch. Pectin pieces have a softer bite and sweat in humid air.
• Honey, beeswax, royal jelly. Found in honey sticks, tinctures, and some chocolates.
• Carmine (E120, cochineal extract). Red dye made from crushed scale insects. Common in red and cherry flavored gummies.
• Shellac (E904) and confectioner's glaze. Resin from the lac bug. Used on hard candies, coated chocolates, and some tablets.
• Magnesium stearate and stearic acid. Can be plant or animal sourced. The label will not say which. Ask the maker.
• Cane sugar. Some cane refineries filter with bone char. Beet sugar does not. This is a personal call for many vegans.
• Milk fat, whey, lactose. Standard in milk chocolate and caramels. Dark chocolate with no milk solids is often clear.
• Gelatin capsules and vitamin D3 from lanolin. Check the shell on any capsule product.

Certifications

The FDA has no legal definition of "vegan" for food labels. Any brand can print the word. Third-party marks carry more weight.

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• Certified Vegan (Vegan Action). Requires no animal ingredients and no animal testing. Look for the logo and a license number.
• BeVeg and Certified Plant Based run similar programs.
• A vegan mark and a lab test are two separate claims. One does not confirm the other.

Lab testing and the COA

Ask for the certificate of analysis for the lot number printed on your package. A current COA lists:

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• Cannabinoid potency: THC and CBD milligrams per piece and per package.
• Pesticides. Cannabis is a bioaccumulator and pulls compounds from soil.
• Residual solvents from extraction.
• Heavy metals: lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury.
• Microbials: E. coli, Salmonella, Aspergillus. Mycotoxins.

Labs should hold ISO 17025 accreditation. Check the test date. An old COA does not cover a new batch.

Dose per piece and per package

Most US legal states set 10 mg THC as one serving. Colorado and California cap recreational packages at 100 mg THC. That is 10 servings in one bag.

Look for a score line on the piece. Cut it. The serving size on the label is not the whole piece in most cases.

NIDA reports that eaten cannabis takes 30 minutes to 2 hours to take effect, and the effects last longer than inhaled. People who redose at 20 minutes because nothing happened get too high.

Allergens and sweeteners

Vegan does not mean allergen free. Common allergens in edibles: tree nuts, coconut, soy, wheat, sesame. Read the contains statement.

Sugar alcohols such as xylitol, erythritol, maltitol, and sorbitol appear in low-sugar gummies. Large doses cause gas and cramping. Xylitol is toxic to dogs at small doses. Keep all edibles out of reach of pets and children.

Storage and date

Keep edibles cool, dark, and dry. Heat, light, and oxygen convert THC to CBN, which is less psychoactive. Pectin gummies absorb moisture and can mold. Check the use-by date and the seal on the bag.

Questions to ask before you buy

1. Which lot is this, and can I see the COA for that lot?
2. Is the gummy pectin or gelatin?
3. Is the sugar beet or cane?
4. Is the magnesium stearate plant derived?
5. How many milligrams of THC per piece and per package?
6. What allergens does the facility also process?