There are conflicting opinions about Imperial margarine being vegan or not. Many people say that it is not vegan and many claim that it is vegan. However, the best way to decide if a particular item is vegan or not is to look at its ingredients.
Imperial Margarine Ingredients
Imperial has listed the following ingredients on its Amazon product listing.
- Purified water: 100% vegan
- Soybean oil: 100% vegan
- Palm kernel and palm oil: It is technically vegan because it is derived from plants and free from animal products. However, palm oil production has made a devastating impact on animal habitats and the environment. It is up to vegans to decide if they want to eat it.
- Salt: 100% vegan
- Lecithin (soy): 100% vegan
- Mono and diglycerides: They can be derived from animal sources or plants. Imperial has not mentioned the source.
- Vinegar: 100% vegan
- Natural and Artificial Flavor: Depends on the source
- Vitamin A palmitate: Depends on the source
- Beta carotene (color): It is mostly made from vegetables or synthetic sources. However, it can also be made from non-vegan sources.
Verdict: There are many ingredients that we aren’t sure about. Hence, imperial margarine is on the gray list. Vegans can eat it or reject it if they are ok with it. However, a strong argument against Imperial margarine rests on the fact that veganism is not only about the food you eat. It is a complete lifestyle and rejects everything coming from animal sources. For example, clothes, cosmetics, and medicines.
If you go by this belief, Imperial margarine is not vegan.
Is Imperial Lactose-free Vegan?
Yes. Good news for vegans from Imperial. Their new lactose-free version is 100% vegan and dairy free. Imperial is on the way to become 100% vegan. Some reports cited that Imperial will be a 100% vegan brand in a few years.
Is Imperial Spread Vegan?
No. Imperial spread is not vegan. It contains many ingredients that are on the gray list. These ingredients may be technically vegan, but their production is against veganism values.
Is Imperial Margarine bad for you?
Imperial hard margarine has low trans-fat compared to other margarine but has more saturated fat. The reason: addition of palm and palm kernel oils.
Overall, margarine is better and healthier than butter. It is made from vegetable oils and hence contains unsaturated fats. Imperial margarine is low in cholesterol and a rich source of Vitamin A & D, but high in saturated fat. You can eat it in moderation if you aren’t on a controlled diet or medication.
Does Imperial Margarine contain Whey?
Some variants may contain whey. Whey is not vegan as it is derived from animal milk. Besides vegans, people with dairy intolerance or allergy must not eat whey.
Imperial Margarine Alternatives (100% Vegan & Dairy-Free)
There is no shortage of brands selling vegan butter and margarine. Here is a list of all the brands that sell vegan butter and margarine. All the brands listed below are PETA certified, so you don’t need to worry about whether they offer 100% vegan products. However, we still recommend checking the ingredients to be safe.
- Milkadamia Buttery Spread
- Kite Hill Plant-Based Butter Alternative
- Melt Organic Butter
- Trader Joe’s Vegan Buttery Spread
- Violife Plant Butter
- Country Crock
- I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter
- Earth Balance
- Wildbrine
- Miyoko’s Kitchen
- Nutiva
- WayFare
How can you identify a Vegan Margarine?
You can do this by checking the ingredients. Here is a list of ingredients that must not be present in vegan margarine.
- Lactose: Found in animal milk and dairy products
- Whey: Derived from milk
- Tallow: Obtained from cattle or sheep
- Animal fat: Taken from animals
- Casein: Derived from milk during cheese making
- Marine oil: Derived from fish or other marine animals
- Suet: Fat, derived from animals
- Lecithin: Derived from animal tissues or egg yolk
- Vitamin D3: Made from lanolin, derived from sheep wool
