As a strict vegetarian for the last 11 years who, for better or worse, has been overtaken with laziness and opted for chips and beer more times than he'd care to admit...
1. Lays Potato Chips (and chips in general): you absolutely
have to read the label! Barbecue Baked Lays, Buffalo Wing Ruffles, and Salsa Verde Doritos contain chicken; Sour Cream Lays, Barbecue Ruffles, and Spicier Nacho Doritos do not.
2. The vast bulk of parmesan cheese - domestic or imported - does
not contain animal rennet. It's cheaper to make it without it, or to use vegetable rennet.
Thank god that Flamin' Hot Fritos use no meat.
3. Lea & Perrins does use anchovies; A1 does not, and neither do higher-end (and better tasting, less-processed) sauces like Stubb's. Although I don't miss the taste of meat, I occasionally miss the taste (and smell) of a good barbecue - mesquite smoking is
perfectly natural and vegetarian! I've made a variety of proteins that were smoked or barbecued in sauces... though I prefer to make my own. It's pretty easy.
4. Who the f would eat Velveeta anyway? Ugh... my intestines burn just thinking about the crap. Can't believe I ever actually
liked the stuff as a kid.
5. As far as lanolin in Minute Maid Calcium OJ is concerned: it is not vegan as it is animal-derived, but would be considered as being in the same boat as dairy, since the animal's life is not required for its production (it is secreted by a gland in sheep, is a natural waterproofing agent in wool, and is separated from the wool in its industrial production process).
6. Altoids use gelatin, and it's really a shame, since there are so many animal-free and less-grotesque alternatives (ground bones FTL)!
7. Guinness. Really is a shame... not because Guinness is super-good (it's actually pretty watery as far as stouts go), but because it's the only stout that you can find with ease at most bars, and stouts are my favorite types of beers.
For a classic British Isles stout that is 100% vegan, and drastically better, try Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout or Imperial Stout, both of which are totally animal-product free, much more flavorful, and also have a way higher alcohol by volume (ABV) so they'll get you tanked faster
All of Samuel Smith's beers are certified vegan.
The article is erroneous in referring to Guinness as an ale (it is most certainly not) and also implying that most ales use isinglass, derived from fish bladders. The vast majority of ales - including nearly all in the US - don't use isinglass. Most common beers (Bud, Corona, etc) are vegan, as are most finer microbrews like Lagunitas.
This is a great resource for other vegetarian and vegan drinkers:
All beer companies A-F
8. Smarties are basically pure sugar anyways... haven't touched em since I was a kid... carmine is used in some foods dyed in the red spectrum, so I always make sure to check labels, especially with ice cream (carmine is common in strawberry ice cream).