LabelSaaf

Is INS 471 vegetarian? Additives that can come from animals

INS 471, mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, can be made from vegetable oils or from animal fat, and the number alone does not say which. On an Indian pack, the mark settles it. FSSAI counts any ingredient of animal origin as non-vegetarian, so a pack whose INS 471 came from animal fat has to carry the brown mark, not the green one.

That makes the mark the first thing to read, and the additive list the second. It also means the mark answers the question as FSSAI defines it, which is not quite the question every reader is asking.

What the green and brown marks mean

Under the Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020, non-vegetarian food is food containing the whole or part of any animal, including birds, insects, fresh water or marine animals and eggs, or any product of animal origin. The same definition leaves out milk and milk products, honey, beeswax, carnauba wax and shellac.

  • Vegetarian: a green filled circle inside a green square.
  • Non-vegetarian: a brown filled triangle inside a brown square.

The mark is the manufacturer's declaration, made under the regulation. It is what a shopper can read; it is not a laboratory test.

Numbers that can go either way

These additives can be made from plants, by fermentation, or from animals. The counts are how many of the 3,576 Indian products in Open Food Facts that list their additives declare each one.

  • INS 471, mono- and diglycerides: vegetable oil or animal fat. An emulsifier in bread, biscuits, ice cream and spreads. 563 products.
  • INS 322, lecithins: usually soy or sunflower, and occasionally egg. An emulsifier in chocolate and bakery. 1,125 products.
  • INS 627, 631 and 635, the ribonucleotides: made by fermentation, or from meat or fish. Flavour enhancers in instant noodles, seasonings and snacks. 241, 252 and 115 products.
  • INS 920, L-cysteine: a flour treatment agent, made from feathers or hair, or by fermentation.

Animal-derived, and treated two different ways

  • INS 120, carmine: a red colour made from cochineal insects. Insects are inside FSSAI's definition, so a pack using it is non-vegetarian.
  • INS 904, shellac, and INS 901, beeswax: glazing agents from insects and bees. Both are named exclusions, so a pack can use them and still carry the green mark.
  • Milk-derived additives are vegetarian by the same exclusion.

What the mark does not answer

The green mark answers the vegetarian question as FSSAI defines it. It does not answer a vegan, Jain or halal question: milk, honey, beeswax and shellac can all sit under a green mark, and halal status depends on the source and the process, which no Indian label is required to state. For those questions the manufacturer is the only source, and the address to write to is on the pack.

How these additives affect a LabelSaaf score

Every additive above is in LabelSaaf's low-risk tier: none has a hazard finding from the agencies the tiers are built on. Where an additive came from does not change the score. The verdict names the additives it found, so the fact is on the record, and INS numbers, explained covers the ones you will see most.

Common questions

Is INS 471 halal?

It depends on the fat it was made from and how, and the label does not say. The green mark rules out animal fat as FSSAI defines it, which answers part of the question; the rest needs the manufacturer.

Is INS 471 harmful?

European regulators re-evaluated mono- and diglycerides between 2013 and 2020 and found no safety concern at the levels reported in use. It is permitted by FSSAI.

Can a pack with the green mark contain egg?

No. Eggs are inside FSSAI's definition of non-vegetarian food.

Sources

Figures on this page come from labels we have read and hand-checked. Products are described by category rather than named, and no affiliation with or endorsement by any brand is implied.

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