Unsuitable Food Additives

Hidden animal products in foods

It is necessary to watch for food ingredients and additives which are of animal origin but not obvious. They are often hidden by numbers and fine print. Download our list of ingredients and additives decoder below.

Please note: This decoder is relevant in the UK and may not be exhaustive. Also, its numbering may not be relevant to your country. A quick search online will reveal a decoder which you can purchase for a few dollars which will be relevant to your country and up to date.

• List of ingredients & additives of animal origin [pdf 44kbs]

Common Forbidden Foods

These include meat, fish, eggs, onions, mushrooms, garlic, masur-dal (red lentils), burned rice, white eggplant, hemp (marijuana), citron, saps from trees (if not boiled first), buffalo and goat milk products, and milk with salt in it. Also, one should not offer canned or frozen foods to the deity, and it is best to avoid offering foods containing unhealthy substances such as yeast and white sugar.

Srila Prabhupada comments:

“Frozen means nasty. I never take frozen…. All rotten, rather the same vegetable, as we have got in India practice, we dry it and keep it. That is tasteful.”

“So far the cucumber pickles: As far as possible we should not offer to the deity things which are prepared by nondevotees. We can accept from them raw fruits, grains, or similar raw things. So far cooking and preparing, that should be strictly limited to the initiated devotees. And aside from this, vinegar is not good; it is tamasic, in the darkness, nasty food.”

“Concerning the use of sour cream in the temple, it should be stopped immediately. Nothing should be offered to the Deities which is purchased in the stores. Things produced by the karmis should not be offered to Radha-Krishna. Icecream, if you can prepare, is O.K., but not otherwise.”

“Unpolished rice which looks like brown can be used… We do not mind polished or unpolished, but doubly-boiled [siddha rice] mustn’t be used. Doubly-boiled rice is considered impure. Sunbaked rice (atapa) is all right.”

“Soya beans and lentils are unofferable.”

“Regarding purchasing things in the market, these items are considered as purified when we pay the price for them. That is the general instruction. But when we know something is adulterated, we should avoid it. But unknowingly if something is purchased, that is not our fault. Things which are suspicious, however, should be avoided.”

“No, it is not very good to use yeast in preparing prasadam.”

“Since it is offensive to offer anything to Krsna that He will not accept, one should be extremely cautious not to offer (or eat) anything questionable.”