Now that plant-based diets are mainstream, you’d think that shopping for vegetarian and vegan groceries would be easy. But some products that seem like they don’t have animal products — baked beans, candy with red dye, and Parmesan cheese, to name a few — aren’t even vegetarian. That’s true even at Trader Joe’s, where there are plenty of plant-based alternatives, as Redditors recently pointed out.
To keep you from accidentally breaking your vegetarianism or veganism, we’ve listed five seemingly plant-based products that either contain meat or dairy.
Creamy Garlic Cucumber Tzatziki Dip
$3.49
Homemade tzatziki, a yogurt-based dip, is always vegetarian, so you’d think that Trader Joe’s garlic cucumber version would be too. But the retailer sneaks in “bovine gelatin,” a thickening agent derived from animal body parts (read: definitely not vegetarian). Vegans and vegetarians should instead opt for Trader Joe’s vegan tzatziki.
Caramelized Onion Dip
$2.99
This caramelized onion dip contains milk and eggs — no surprises there — but it also has gelatin, making it unsuitable for vegetarians. The good news is that Trader Joe’s offers a vegan alternative. We just wish that the regular one was more clearly labeled.
Elote Salad
$3.99
Our good friend bovine gelatin makes another appearance in Trader Joe’s elote chopped salad kit. While the salad itself is vegan, the dressing contains sour cream, which isn’t suitable for vegans (dairy) or vegetarians (bovine gelatin).
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General Tsao Stir Fry Sauce
$3.49
This stir fry sauce is so close to being vegan, if not for one ingredient: natural oyster flavor. According to Trader Joe’s website, the flavor extract is made with real oysters, meaning this is a no-go for vegans and vegetarians.
Related: Meatless Motivation: 10 Easy Tofu Recipes To Try Right Now
Triple Ginger Brew
$3.99
If you’ve never lived plant-based, you may not realize that many vegans forego honey, as it’s technically an animal product. For strict vegans, Trader Joe’s triple ginger brew is off the table, with honey as one of its sweeteners. The retailer’s brewed ginger beer is vegan friendly, however.
Related: The Only Dips for Your Chips: 8 Trader Joe’s Salsas, Ranked
