Type a product, scan its barcode, or snap a photo of the ingredients, and we'll tell you if it's vegan, and safe for tsom (Orthodox fasting): no meat, dairy, eggs, or animal additives.
Checking 33,278 packaged products and growing.
Plant-based by their ingredients. Tap any for the full breakdown.
Dark Chocolate Covered Peanuts, Dark Chocolate
Candy
DARK CHOCOLATE (CHOCOLATE LIQUORâ¡, CANE SUGARâ¡, COCOA BUTTERâ¡, VANILLA), ROASTED PEANUTS (PEANUTS, PEANUT OIL), ORGANIC CANE SUGARâ¡, GUM ACACIA, COLORED WITH (BEET JUICE, SPIRULINA EXTRACT), ORGANIC TAPIOCA SYRUP, CARNAUBA WAX.
Vegan & tsom
Sea Salt & Almond Organic 80% Dark Chocolate, Sea Salt & Almond
Candy
ORGANIC CACAO BEANS, ORGANIC CANE SUGAR, ORGANIC ALMONDS, ORGANIC COCOA BUTTER, SEA SALT, ORGANIC VANILLA BEANS.
Vegan & tsom
Original Soft Australian Liquorice, Original
Candy
GLUCOSE SYRUP (FROM WHEAT), WHEAT FLOUR, MOLASSES, TREACLE, SUGAR, WATER, WHEAT FIBER, PALM OIL+, COLORED WITH BURNT SUGAR, LICORICE EXTRACT, ANISEED OIL, SALT, MONO- AND DI-GLYCERIDES.
Vegan & tsom
Kale & Chia Whole Grain Chips, Kale & Chia
Chips, Pretzels & Snacks
WHOLE GRAIN CORN MASA FLOUR, SUNFLOWER AND/OR SAFFLOWER OIL, KALE, ONION, SPINACH, CHIA SEED, GARLIC, SEA SALT.
Vegan & tsom
Fuego Hot Chili Pepper & Lime Artisan Style Kettle Cooked Potato Chips, Fuego
Chips, Pretzels & Snacks
POTATOES, VEGETABLE OIL (PALM AND/OR SOYBEAN AND/OR CANOLA OIL), SALT, CITRIC ACID, MALTODEXTRIN, SUGAR, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, ARTIFICIAL COLORS (RED 40 LAKE, YELLOW 6 LAKE), ONION POWDER, SODIUM BICARBONATE, CHILI PEPPER (CHILE), DISODIUM INOSINATE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, TBHQ (ANTIOXIDANT).
Vegan & tsom
Fuego Hot Chili Pepper & Lime Tortilla Chips, Fuego
Chips, Pretzels & Snacks
CORN MASA FLOUR (PROCESSED WITH LIME), VEGETABLE OIL (PALM AND/OR SOYBEAN AND/OR CANOLA OIL AND/OR RICE BRAN OIL), SEASONING [SALT, MALTODEXTRIN, CITRIC ACID, SUGAR, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, ONION POWDER, YEAST EXTRACT, ARTIFICIAL COLOR (RED 40 LAKE, YELLOW 6 LAKE), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, SODIUM BICARBONATE, SOYBEAN OIL, CHILI PEPPER (CHILE), DISODIUM INOSINATE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, TBHQ (ANTIOXIDANT)].
Vegan & tsom
Corn Tortilla Chips
Chips, Pretzels & Snacks
CORN, WATER, LIME, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE (FLAVOR ENHANCER), SALT, BLACK PEPPER, GARLIC, PAPRIKA, COMINO AND CORN OIL.
Vegan & tsom
Classic Sea Salt Potato Chips, Classic Sea Salt
Chips, Pretzels & Snacks
POTATOES, EXPELLER PRESSED SUNFLOWER SEED, SAFFLOWER SEED AND/OR CANOLA OIL, SEA SALT.
Vegan & tsom
Rods Pretzels
Chips, Pretzels & Snacks
ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), CANOLA OIL, SALT, POTATO FLOUR, WHEAT GLUTEN, OAT FIBER, YEAST, SODA.
Vegan & tsom
Cotton Candy Flavored Puffs, Cotton Candy
Candy
CANE SUGAR, INVERT SUGAR, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, BLUE 1, RED 3.
Vegan & tsom
Mini Drinks
Candy
REFINED WAX, WATER, CORN SYRUP, ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, CITRIC ACID, SODIUM BENZOATE AND POTASSIUM SORBATE (PRESERVATIVES), ARTIFICIAL COLORS (FD&C RED 40, BLUE 1, YELLOW 5, YELLOW 6), BHT (TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS).
Vegan & tsom
Blue Corn Tortilla Strips, Blue Corn
Chips, Pretzels & Snacks
ORGANIC STONE-GROUND MASA HARINA BLUE CORN FLOUR, NON-HYDROGENATED SAFFLOWER OIL AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL, SALT.
Vegan & tsomTsom ጾም is the fasting practice of the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo churches, two ancient Oriental Orthodox traditions that share the same calendar of fasts. To fast is less about skipping meals and more about changing what is on the plate: during tsom the faithful set aside every animal product, no meat, no fish, no dairy, and no eggs. What remains is, by any modern label, a vegan diet, which is why "is it vegan?" and "is it tsom-friendly?" turn out to be almost the same question.
Fasting is woven through the whole year. Most Wednesdays and Fridays are fasting days, remembering the betrayal and the crucifixion, and several longer seasons sit on top of them. The best known is the Great Fast, Abiy Tsom ዐቢይ ጾም, the roughly eight weeks of Lent before Fasika (Easter). Others include the fasts of the Apostles, the Assumption, and the Nativity fast that leads to Genna. All told the traditional calendar counts around 250 fasting days, a large share of them kept by lay believers, which is why plant-based cooking is second nature in Habesha kitchens.
Whole foods are the easy part: injera, shiro, misir wot, vegetables, legumes, and grains are tsom by nature. Packaged and imported foods are where it gets tricky, because animal ingredients hide under unfamiliar names. Milk and butter show up as whey, casein, or ghee; eggs as albumen; and additives like gelatin, carmine (a red color made from insects), or certain mono- and diglycerides can be animal-derived. Reading the ingredients line by line is the only sure way, and that is exactly the job of the checker above: type a product, scan its barcode, or photograph the label, and it flags meat, dairy, eggs, and animal additives for you.
For the calendar side of things, our fasting page shows whether today is a fast day, and the markets and grocers near you stock the shiro, lentils, and spices that make tsom cooking a pleasure rather than a restriction. When in doubt about a specific product, let the checker read the label before you buy.
Sources: "Fasting and abstinence in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church," Wikipedia; Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church".
Guidance from the ingredients, not a religious ruling. What's fasting today
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