Animal product

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Animal products are either produced by an animal or taken from the body of an animal. The term is primarily used in relation to diet, particularly for vegetarians, vegans and those concerned with maintaining a Kosher, Halaal, or raw food diet.

Although there is debate what constitutes an animal product, the term is generally not applied to products made from fossilized or decomposed animals, such as Petroleum which is formed from the ancient remains of marine animals. Crops grown in soil fertilized with animal remains are rarely characterized as animal products.

Common animal products used for food

• blood, especially in the form of blood sausage
• broths and stocks are often created with animal fat, bone, and connective tissue
• carmine also known as cochineal (food dye)
• casein (found in milk and cheese)
• civet oil (food flavoring additive)
• dairy products (e.g., milk, cheese, yoghurt, etc.)
• eggs
• gelatin
• honey
• honeydew (secretion)
• isinglass (used in clarification of beer and wine)
• L-cysteine from human hair and pig bristles (used in the production of biscuits and bread)
• lard
• meat, including fish
• rennet (commonly used in the production of cheese)
• shellac
• swiftlet's nest (made of saliva)
• whey (found in cheese and added to many other products)

Non-food animal products

• animal fiber
• ambergris
• beeswax
• blood and some blood substitutes (blood used for transfusions is always human in origin, though some blood substitutes are made from animal sources. Many diagnostic laboratory tests use animal or human sourced reagents)
• bone, including antlers, ivory, tusks, bone char, bone meal, etc.
• casein (used in plastics, clothing, cosmetics, adhesives and paint)
• castoreum (secretion of the beaver used in perfumes and possibly in food flavoring)
• coral rock
• feathers
• foreskin (used to treat burns victims)
• fur
• gallstones (from livestock for Traditional Chinese Medicine)
• ivory
• lanolin
• leather
• manure
• Mink oil
• musk
• pearl or mother of pearl
• shellac
• silk
• sponges
• tallow, may be used in food and soap
• tortoiseshell
• urine
• whale oil
• wool

References

• Vegan Society - Criteria For Vegan Food
• Mian N Riaz, Riaz N Riaz, Muhammad M Chaudry Halal Food Production, CRC Press, 2004. ISBN 1-58716-029-3