Is it Vegan?

I have been following a page on Facebook called Veganism is the Future and one afternoon they ran the picture posted above with the question "Are Gummy Bears Vegan?" Of course the answer is "No." Gummy Bears are made from gelatin and gelatin is derived by boiling skin, cartilage, and bones until they break down and release keratin. Yep, Gummy Bears are made out of animal tissue, did you know? Well, thanks to being a Discovery Channel addict I knew this but it got me thinking, "How many other people do or do not know this?" and "How many other products are made from animal "byproducts" and I don't know about it?" and also, "How many products contain gelatin and I'm not aware of it?"
Below is a short list of common food products that contain gelatin:


Marsh mellows -always contains gelatin (I had no idea)
Pop-Tarts w/ frosting - always contains gelatin
Mini Wheats - always contains gelatin other frosted cereals- sometimes contains gelatin
Jello - always contains gelatin
Star Bursts - always contains gelatin
Skittles
Jr Mints
Peeps - always contains gelatin
Yogurt - sometimes contains gelatin
Green Giant frozen vegetables (in a bag) – yes it’s true.
Icing / Frostin- sometimes contains gelatin
Cream Cheese - sometimes contains gelatin
Sour Cream - sometimes contains gelatin
Trifles

Fun huh?

So what other foods contain animal products or products that are made from animal protein?
I did some research and found this really nice web site called Is It Vegan This site goes through the ingredients of some of the most popular foods we eat and answers the question "Is It Vegan?"
I was surprised by some of the foods that are and are not vegan.
One that really surprised me is Crisco Butter Flavor Shortening.  It turns out that it IS vegan. This butter flavored shortening is made from:

SOYBEAN OIL, FULLY HYDROGENATED PALM OIL, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED PALM AND SOYBEAN OILS, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, TBHQ AND CITRIC ACID (ANTIOXIDANTS), BETA CAROTENE (PRO VITAMIN A) ADDED FOR COLOR.
It may not be healthy but it is vegan.

One I never gave any thought to is, "Is Camera Film Vegan?"
Camera film? I'm a photographer and I never gave this a thought but, No camera film contains gelatin.
I knew this, I just never thought about it because I don't eat camera film. The vegan life style goes beyond what you eat, it includes the products we buy and use. As I said in a previous post, True Veganism means not buying, using, or wearing products made from animals. I don't think I could ever be that hard core about being vegan but it's something to think about.