Unfortunately, Wonder Bread Classic White is not vegan. While milk no longer features in the ingredients list, it contains processed ingredients derived from animal products such as sodium stearoyl lactylate, lecithin and various glycerides. This also means there may be some healthier breads you might consider instead.
In the past, Wonder Bread Classic White contained whey, which is an obvious no-no for vegans. Later, they changed the production process and ingredients so that whey no longer appeared in the ingredients list, but milk did. Now, milk no longer appears either, mysteriously!
However, the presence of other ingredients in the list makes it obvious that this bread is not suitable for vegans.
Let’s review these now.
Ingredients of Wonder Bread Classic White
Let’s take a look at what’s in this bread. We’ve highlighted those that may be of concern to vegans.
Wonder Bread Classic White ingredients: Unbleached Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Yeast, Contains 2% or Less of Each of the Following: Calcium Carbonate, Soybean Oil, Wheat Gluten, Salt, Dough Conditioners (Contains One or More of the Following: Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Calcium Stearoyl Lactylate, Monoglycerides, Mono- and Diglycerides, Distilled Monoglycerides, Calcium Peroxide, Calcium Iodate, DATEM, Ethoxylated Mono- and Diglycerides, Enzymes, Ascorbic Acid), Vinegar, Monocalcium Phosphate, Yeast Extract, Modified Corn Starch, Sucrose, Sugar, Soy Lecithin, Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3), Soy Flour, Ammonium Sulfate, Calcium Sulfate, Calcium Propionate (to Retard Spoilage).
Most of these ingredients are vegan, but there are some that may or may not be. Let’s take a closer look:
- Mono- and Diglycerides – these can be made from plant or animal sources, but you won’t know unless you contact the manufacturer, and even then they may not be able to tell you!
- Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate – we covered this ingredient elsewhere, but this can be derived from plant or animal sources. Again, you certainly won’t be able to tell just from looking at the label.
- Lecithin – this can be tricky as some lecithin is vegan (e.g. sunflower oil). But these days, animal-based lecithin is a pretty common feature in many foods.
The only sure-fire way to know if this bread is vegan would be to get this confirmed from the makers of Wonder Bread, but given there can be crossover of ingredients in the production process, you are very unlikely to hear back from them on this.
What About Other Varieties of Wonder Bread?
Other Wonder Bread varieties, such as Wonder Small 100% Whole Wheat, Wonder Italian Bread and all other versions, are not vegan either. This is because the same suspects pop up again and again!
For example, take a look at the ingredients list for Wonder Small 100% Whole Wheat:
Wonder Small 100% Whole Wheat ingredients: Whole Wheat Flour, Water, Yeast, Brown Sugar, Wheat Gluten, Contains 2% or Less of Each of the Following: Salt, Dough Conditioners (Contains One or More of the Following: Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Calcium Stearoyl Lactylate, Monoglycerides, Mono- and Diglycerides, Distilled Monoglycerides, Calcium Peroxide, Calcium Iodate, DATEM, Ethoxylated Mono- and Diglycerides, Enzymes, Ascorbic Acid), Soybean Oil, Vinegar, Cultured Wheat Flour, Monocalcium Phosphate, Ammonium Sulfate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Soy Lecithin, Natamycin (to Retard Spoilage).
We covered the likely non-vegan ingredients above, but also consider enzymes which are likely derived from animal products as well.
Conclusion
So, our conclusion is that Wonder Bread in general is not vegan.
Besides, not to be harsh, but does what’s in this bread sound tasty to you?
