Bone phosphate, additive E542, is exactly what it sounds like. It is ground animal bone, used as an anti-caking agent and a mineral source.
Made fromGround animal bone
E numberE542
VerdictNot vegan
Where it hides
Anti-caking agent in some powders
Some supplements and toothpaste
A few processed foods
What it is
Edible bone phosphate, additive E542, is made from the same raw material as garden bone meal: animal bones, cleaned and ground to a fine mineral powder.
Primary source 01 / 01
Bone meal (or bonemeal) is a mixture of finely and coarsely ground animal bones and slaughter-house waste products.
E542 turns up as an anti-caking agent in some powdered foods and as a calcium-phosphate source in a few supplements and toothpastes. Because its source is slaughter by-product, it is not vegan. Mineral phosphates such as calcium phosphate from rock do the same job without the animal origin.
Bone char sugarSome cane sugar is whitened by filtering it through charred cattle bone. The sugar holds no bone, but the process is animal, so it depends on the brand.
GelatinGelatin is boiled animal collagen, usually from pig or cow skin and bone. There is no plant version; the plant swaps are agar, pectin and carrageenan.
CollagenCollagen is the scaffolding of animal bodies: skin, bone, connective tissue. There is no plant version, so every real collagen supplement is animal-derived, and vegan collagen is a different thing wearing the same name.
Frequently asked
What is E542 made from?
Ground animal bone. Edible bone phosphate is a slaughter by-product, so E542 is not vegan.
Is calcium phosphate the same as bone phosphate?
Not necessarily. Calcium phosphate can be made from mineral rock, which is vegan, whereas bone phosphate (E542) is specifically from animal bone. The names are worth reading carefully.
The sources
What each verdict rests on. Read them yourself.
Bone meal · Wikipedia, 2025 · encyclopedia overview
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