Is sugar vegan?

It depends

All sugar consists of a compound called sucrose. It's a naturally occurring molecule, found in the sap of many plants, but it is most concentrated in species such as beets and sugarcane. All sugars are plant-based, but some are not vegan due to their exposure to bone char during the processing phase.

Sugar Types

There are many different kinds of sugar. Here are some of the main examples:

beet sugar - sugar beets are sliced to extract the natural juice, which is then purified, heated and crystalized.
cane sugar - processed similarly, with the added step of whitening using bone char.
brown sugar & confectioners sugar - white sugar with the addition of molasses or corn starch.
coconut sugar - sap is released from coconut palm flower buds, which is then heated to evaporate the liquid.
palm sugar - a similar process is used, but from the liquid sap of the sugar palm tree (a.k.a. date palm).
sucanat (sucre de canne naturel) - made from the juice of sugar cane that is boiled and paddled to form granules.
turbinado sugar - processed similarly, except that it is spun to result in rounded sugar crystals.

Bone Char

White sugar, and therefore brown and confectioners sugar, are often processed with bone char. Bone char - a.k.a. natural carbon - is a black, porous, granular substance derived from the bones of cattle from the Middle East. The bones are sold through traders to the United States sugar industry. The sugar industry uses it as a decolorizing agent, which gives the sugar its desirable white color. Since supermarket companies often obtain their sugar from multiple refineries, it's impossible to know if the sugar has been processed with bone char. While the final sugar product does not contain bone char, the use of an animal product during processing is undesirable to most vegans and vegetarians.

Vegan Sugars

Here are just five char-free sweeteners, with links to Amazon for easy purchasing. There are many more brands out there (see this PETA site for a long list of sweeteners and syrups). For diabetics, check out Stevia, since it has a zero glycemic index value.

1. Zulca

2. Wholesome Sweeteners

3. Trader Joes

4. Sugar in the Raw

5. Now Foods Beet Sugar