It isn’t just vegans who should avoid this ingredient, though. Vegetarians who don’t like to consume any part of meat or fish should also avoid gelatin due to its connection to animals. Gelatin can be tricky to avoid, as it is used in many popular and common sweets and dishes. You might not have known Oreos and other popular foods are actually vegan, so you could be accidentally ingesting foods with gelatin in without knowing.
You’re most likely to see gelatin on the ingredients list of any chewy and soft sweet like gummy bears — i.e. brands like Haribo (via Livekindly). Some other foods you’ll always want to check the ingredient list of are frosting (either alone or on cupcakes), marshmallows, yoghurt, and ice cream (per Live Strong).
Though there are many vegan alternatives to the above, gelatin can still slip through the cracks of food you think is vegan like wafers or even fruit snacks. Gelatin isn’t necessarily bad for you, but if you avoid all animal products you should be vigilant when checking for gelatin.