Are Sour Patch Kids Vegan? – Quick Guide – 2023

At a glance, these iconic sour candies seem to be perfect for a vegan. The brand itself doesn’t contain gelatin, which is often used by other candy companies. However, the issue of questionable ingredients produces controversy that some vegans may not agree with.

This way, you can find out where to get vegan Takis as well as which vegan sour was before you eat it. We know with certainty if the rainbow is vegan or not.

This is not enough; let’s jump to knowing the reasons behind the answer.

1. FAQs – Are Sour Patch Kids Vegan?

2. Sour Patch Kids: The True Ingredients

A lot of people treat Sour Patch Kids as vegan, but others say you should dig deeper. These little candies are filled with many different ingredients. They do include sugars that are plant-based.

They also include things like modified corn starch, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Yellow 5, Red 40, Tartaric acid, and other artificial flavors. The label appears friendly to vegans when examining the ingredients list label but it could be misleading.

Sour Patch Kids: The True story

I enjoy watching Bon Appetite Kitchen make its own versions of popular packaged snacks by reading the ingredients on the box. You can watch as Clair makes homemade sour patch kids here.

3. The Sugar Used In Sour Patch Kids Might Not Be Vegan Friendly

You can create sugar from either sugarcane or sugar beet. Though the methods for refining them may differ, the taste and texture of these two types will be similar. Sugar made from sugar beets is taken from the plants using a diffuser. Additives are mixed with this fluid to crystallize the sugar.

Bone char is used to make sugar from sugarcane and is processed, bleached, and filtered. While they may look similar in cuisine, they are very different in terms of quality and what they can actually be used for in cooking. It’s not easy to figure out which is best for certain recipes unless you do your research.

4. What Exactly Is Bone Char?

Carbon is what gives sugar its perfect white color. It’s also called bone char. Carbon is made from cattle bones that have been heated and then reduced to carbon. The particles of bone char do not usually make their way into your sugar, which helps you avoid those icky squeaky fingers.

Bone char can be confusing for vegans. Bone char helps refine sugar from cane, but this does not ensure that all refined sugar is filtered with bone char. There are many companies that use granular carbon to filter their cane sugar.

It’s important to note that you won’t be able to see on the label of your candy what exactly was done to the sugar with bone char, so determining whether or not a product contains animal products can be tricky.

5. Are Sour Patch Kids Vegan Friendly?

It is hard to tell the true origin of sugar when companies use beet and cane sugar, There is no answer as to whether the bag you purchased is vegan in every situation. Mondelez International states that their suppliers use bone char; however, some people may find that this practice does not align with a vegan lifestyle.

Gummy bears are not vegan, but this depends on how strictly you live, according to my article.

6. Sour Patch Kids’ Potential Controversial Animal Products Ingredients

Many people believe that the ingredients in Sour Patch Kids, a candy that most vegans avoid, can endanger human health. If you’re going vegan, be aware of the ingredients in your everyday products to reduce potential harm.

Gelatin is the main ingredient for vegan candy because it keeps the textures of the sweets united and also gives them their consistency. The problem with gelatin being made from boiling the skin, bones, tendons, and ligaments of cows and pigs is that vegan consumers object to animal cruelty.

There is no gelling agent in the ingredients for Sour Patch Kids, but some people say that there might be a trace amount because the ingredient list doesn’t explicitly state it. Gelatin alternatives would include pectin and agar agar.

Some companies argue that Sour Patch Kids get their gooey feel from corn syrup and corn starch, while others believe they use gelatin as an intermediate stage before finalizing the candy with other binding agents.

Another thing to think about is that different companies in each country may produce Sour Patch Kids in different ways. The United Kingdom does list gelatin as an ingredient in their Sour Patch candy. Different countries have different regulations, and these can play a role in how products are made, which is vital when it comes to getting the perfect taste.

6. 1 Vegan Controversy and Reddit Community:

People claim they are, but they don’t contain cane/organic sugar. when I’m a new vegan, I am just curious. I know sugar is sometimes refined with bone char. I don’t just mean sour patch kids. I’m curious about the watermelon and other fruits as well, but I assume they’re all the same :

Let me give a detail While in the process of shopping for gummy candies, my partner and I asked the clerk if they made their candy with gelatin or agar. They explained to us how sour patch candies are made using algae gelatin, which was really interesting.

None the wiser, I thought I would share this newfound knowledge with you all! Googling it turned up posts from PETA that were complaining about vegan Halloween candy brands like Sour Patch Kids (which included evidence of animal ingredients).

7. Artificial Colors And Flavors In Sour Patch Kids

Artificial colors like red dye are made by crushing cochineal bugs into a powder and mixing them with water. This type of dye is used widely in the food industry to add color to many different candies and yogurts.

It’s usually listed as carmine or carminic acid, which means that many artificial colors are tested on animals. This doesn’t mean that all colors make this list, but it shows how cruel some companies can be.

Artificial colors like red 40, yellow 5 and 6, and blue 1 are made from petroleum, which is usually tested on animals. Most dyes are fed to animal testers so their potential health issues can be monitored.

These health issues may show up in the form of tumors. If the animal does not pass away from the side effects of testing, they are usually euthanized after testing products. Tests done on animals using allura red have shown neurotoxicity.

Some vegetarians are not bothered by animal testing. Many vegetarians consume products with artificial colors or flavors without a second thought. Other vegetarians only allow themselves to use or consume products tested on animals once in their lifetime.

8. Vegan Alternatives to Sour Patch Kids

8.1 YumEarth

These Organic Sour Beans with colors made from concentrate are ideal for the family and taste great.

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Last update on 2023-03-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

8.2 Candy People

The Sour Vikings by Candy People is made with organic ingredients, grape concentrate, and glucose syrup which include the surprising colors of paprika extract and turmeric.

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Last update on 2023-03-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

8.3 SmartSweets

Facial hair removal Sweetis believe to be natural and organic, they cleanse the face with soluble corn fiber. The flavors are natural berries and vegetable juice. For making sweets, stevia was extensively used in the sweetening process.

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Last update on 2023-03-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

8.4 Haribo

Haribo’s Sour Rainbow Strips are vegan despite their use of sodium hydrogen, and copper complexes, ingredients that would not be derived from animal sources, and are devoid of known human health consequences.

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Last update on 2023-03-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

9. Final Verdict:

In conclusion, because “Sour Patch Kids” contain some animal-derived ingredients like milk, their vegan label is more of a marketing ploy than anything else. The artificial colors and flavors are made through tough testing on animals.

The company claims that it does not test on mice, dogs, or rats, but tests on animals go on almost every day.

During manufacturing, artificial colors like Red #40 may be tested to make sure humans don’t suffer from health problems. The use of these ingredients is also nearly impossible to avoid as most of them are found in the sweet and sour candies we eat.

To achieve the taste of sweet and sour candy, you would have a hard time finding an organic alternative to consuming that item.

It’s hard for vegans to substitute large quantities of carbs with protein and healthy fats because all of these aspects give sweets their taste. Large quantities of items that vegans are missing are difficult to acquire without causing too many hours in the kitchen, which can be a tough thing for some.

If you are looking for animal-friendly candies that are vegan, you might want to look at Sour Patch Kids. Every item in the product’s ingredients list is vegan. But remember that just because it doesn’t contain animal products doesn’t mean all of the products were sourced without testing or with animal byproducts.

Consider taking a healthier gummy that can help with weight loss, give you more energy, and provides essential vitamins in your daily diet. Instead of eating candy, which could harm your overall health and wellness, consider these instead.

References:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_char