Here are a few examples of crackers that either are confirmed not to use animal ingredients in the finished product or appear not to from the ingredient list. At the bottom of the page there are a few examples of products to avoid, which have been confirmed with the company to have animal ingredient(s) or list animal ingredient(s) in the ingredient list.

Shortening/ショートニング/shōtoningu, which may appear in crackers and other baked goods, is a solid fat and can be either of animal or plant origin. To figure out which, it will likely be necessary to contact the company.

For those who do not live in Japan, products sold on Rakuten Ichiba can be shipped to other countries via Rakuten Global Express (English), Rakuten’s official overseas delivery service (click here for Rakuten Global Express in Japanese). They will combine your Rakuten Ichiba (Japanese) order with orders from other shopping websites, including those that do not ship overseas, and send everything to you. They do not send refrigerated or frozen items- if you order them, they will be sent to you unrefrigerated. Sign-up is free. Learn how to use the service here (English). Those in Japan can purchase any product that is carried on Rakuten Ichiba directly, of course without using Rakuten Global Express, which is only for overseas shoppers.

You may be able to find Atarimaeda Rich Vegetable Crackers and Atarimaeda Vegetable Crackers in supermarkets.

• Atarimaeda Rich Vegetable Crackers/前田製菓１０種類の野菜クラッカー. Ingredients: Wheat flour, vegetable oil, shortening, dried vegetables (onion, red pepper, parsley, burdock, pumpkin, moroheiya, tomato, spinach, carrot), indigestible dextrin, sugar, salt, yeast, dried mashed potatoes, glucose, leavening agent.

As of 2019, these crackers are confirmed to use bone char to whiten the sugar. However, per the company, they do not contain animal ingredients in the finished product.

Flavorings and colorings are not used.

Online purchase links: Atarimaeda website, Rakuten Ichiba

Photo from website.

• Atarimaeda Vegetable Crackers/前田製菓野菜クラッカー　～サプ～. Ingredients: Wheat flour, vegetable oil, shortening, sugar, onion, salt, red bell pepper, yeast, parsley, tomato, bok choy, leavening agent, emulsifier.

As of 2019, these crackers are confirmed to use bone char to whiten the sugar. However, per the company, they do not contain animal ingredients in the finished product.

Online purchase links: Atarimaeda website, Rakuten Ichiba

Photo from website.

These Colussi crackers were found in a branch of Kaldi import store.

• Colussi Crackers, Salted/コルッシ　ソルトクラッカー. Ingredients: Wheat flour, sunflower seed oil (10.5%), salt, yeast, barley and malt wheat extract.

Marked “palm oil free” in English on the front of the package.

Online purchase link: Kaldi Online Store

          

• Delser Olive Oil & Rosemary Crackers/デルセール オリーブオイル＆ローズマリークラッカー. Ingredients: Wheat flour, olive oil, salt, rosemary, malted barley flour, malt extract, yeast/pH adjusting agent.

Processed on the same equipment as items containing milk, soybeans and sesame.

Marked palm-oil-free in English on the front of the package.

Online purchase links: Kaldi Online Store, Rakuten Ichiba

   

• Delser Saltine Crackers/デルセール　ソルティンクラッカー. Ingredients: Wheat flour, sunflower seed oil, salt, malted barley flour, malt extract, yeast, pH adjusting agent, antioxidant (rosemary extract).

Processed on the same equipment as items containing milk, soybeans and sesame.

Marked palm-oil-free in English on the front of the package.

Online purchase link: Rakuten Ichiba

   

These “unsaltine” crackers are made without sprinkling salt on the top.

• Delser Unsaltine Crackers/デルセール　アンソルティンクラッカー. Ingredients: Flour, palm oil, salt, malted barley flour, malt extract, yeast, leavening agent.

The Japanese ingredient list simply says “vegetable oil/植物油,” but when you look at the original Italian ingredient list, you can see it contains palm oil, “olio di palma.”

Online purchase link: Rakuten Ichiba

   

• Nabisco Premium Crackers/ナビスコ プレミアムクラッカー. Ingredients: Wheat flour, vegetable oil, salt, malt flour, yeast, leavening agent. Product contains wheat.

Products containing dairy and egg are processed in the same factory.

Online purchase link: Rakuten Ichiba

   

Nabisco Ritz crackers are reported to contain palm oil by the blog Sushivoyage. They’re made in Indonesia.

• Ritz Crackers. Ingredients: Wheat flour, vegetable oil, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, salt, malt extract/leavening agent, emulsifier, antioxidants (vitamin E, vitamin C).

Product contains wheat and soybeans.

Products containing dairy are manufactured in the same factory. 

Online purchase link: Rakuten Ichiba

Photos taken in July 2021 in a branch of Lawson convenience store.

    

• Ritz Crackers, Black Pepper. Ingredients: Wheat flour, vegetable oil, sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, salt, black pepper, maltodextrin, glucose, onion powder, yeast extract/leavening agent, emulsifier, flavoring, acidulant, antioxidants (vitamin E, vitamin C). 

Product contains wheat and soybeans.

Products containing dairy are manufactured in the same factory. 

Photos taken in July 2021 in a branch of Lawson convenience store.

  

• Ritz Chocolate Sandwich Crackers/リッツ チョコサンド. Ingredients: Wheat flour, vegetable oil, sugar, cocoa powder, high-fructose corn syrup, salt, corn starch/leavening agent, emulsifier, flavoring, antioxidants (vitamin E, vitamin C).

Product contains wheat and soybeans.

Products containing dairy are manufactured in the same factory.

Photos taken in July 2021 in a branch of Lawson convenience store.

        

• Ritz Vanilla Sandwich Crackers/リッツ バニラサンド. Ingredients: Wheat flour, vegetable oil, sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, salt, corn starch/leavening agent, emulsifier, flavoring, antioxidant (vitamin E, vitamin C).

Product contains wheat and soybeans.

Photo from website.

Ritz Cheese Sandwich crackers/リッツチーズサンド are not vegan as they contain whey, cheese and butter.

The following four types of YBC crackers, made by Yamazaki Biscuits, appear to possibly be vegan, however, the source of the processed oil is not specified.

YBC crackers may be found in supermarkets.

Online purchase link: Rakuten Ichiba

• YBC Levain Crackers/YBC ルヴァン クラッカー. Ingredients: Flour, processed oil, sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, salt, malt extract, rye flour, fermented yeast/leavening agent.

Product contains wheat.

     

• YBC Levain Classical/ルヴァン クラシカル. Ingredients: Wheat flour, processed oil, salt, malt flour, fermented yeast, yeast/leavening agent, calcium carbonate.

Product contains wheat.

       

• YBC Levain Classical Unsalted Tops/ルヴァン クラシカルノントッピングソルト. Ingredients: Wheat flour, processed oil, malt flour, salt, fermented yeast, yeast/leavening agent, seasoning (inorganic salts), calcium carbonate.

Product contains wheat.

   

• YBC Levain Prime Snack/YBC ルヴァン プライムスナック. Ingredients: Wheat flour, processed oil, sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, salt, malt extract, fermented yeast/leavening agent.

Product contains wheat.

   

ONLINE

The iHerb website (page language can be set to English) is also a good place to find vegan crackers – especially tasty are the gluten-free Simple Mills Almond Flour crackers. The four flavors Cracked Black Pepper, Fine Ground Sea Salt, Rosemary & Sea Salt, and Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil are all vegan (the Farmhouse Cheddar flavor is not). The Simple Mills products seem popular and do go out of stock at times, but but you can set a notification up to tell you when they’re available for purchase. Shipping (which is international to Japan) takes 5-7 days. Find more information about ordering from iHerb in our vegan online shopping section. To get a discount on your order please feel free to use our referral codes: CYK4452 or ARA5497.

Photos taken in June 2021. 

   

Now let’s look at a few examples of non-vegan crackers sold in stores. 

• Atarimaeda Black Pepper Crackers/前田製菓　ブラックペッパークラッカー are not vegan, because according to the company as of 2019, the shortening is made of lard, cow fat and fish oil. In addition, the sugar is whitened using bone char.

• Atarimaeda Kurogoma (Black Sesame) Soft Cracker/前田製菓　黒ごまソフトクラッカー are not vegan, because according to the company as of 2019, the shortening is made of lard, cow fat and fish oil.

• Atarimaeda Rich Staple Grains Cracker/前田製菓　五穀たっぷりクラッカー are not vegan, because according to the company as of 2019, the shortening is made of lard, cow fat and fish oil.

• Bourbon Natural Yeast Crackers/Bourbon 天然酵母クラッカー are not vegan, because per the ingredient list on the package, they contain eggs in various parts of the ingredients, including calcium derived from eggs.

   

• Morinaga Malted Wheat Crackers/森永小麦麦芽のクラッカー are not vegan, because per the ingredient list on the package, they contain flavored powder that has chicken and pork.

   

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