Did Sour Patch Kids Always Have Blue Raspberry

Are Sour Patch kids vegan? A quick glance at the ingredient label, and you would think, yes, they are vegan. However, as you take a closer look at those ingredients it becomes more complicated. In this post, I take a critical look at each ingredient to help provide you with a more thorough answer to this seemingly simple question.

Sour Patch Kids are one of the most popular candies in the country – you see them at nearly every movie theater, every grocery store, and even in the checkout lines at some clothing stores. The brand has an array of choices in their Sour Patch Kids line, Watermelon Sour Patch, and even Sour Patch Punch straws. Their flavors include orange, lime, redberry, blue raspberry, pink strawberry, grape, and pineapple.

If you've never had Sour Patch Kids, they're chewy, sweet, gummy candies with a sour, crunchy sugar outer coating.   With that being said, are these popular "first they're sour, then they're sweet" candies vegan-friendly?

The answer is, well, a little complicated, similar to the question regarding, "Are Oreos vegan?"  To really answer this question, we have to dive deeper into the ingredients and the definition of what it means to be "vegan." These yummy sour treats contain some ingredients that are considered controversial in the vegan world.

Jump to:

• What does it mean to be vegan?
• Are Sour Patch Products Vegan-Friendly?
• Do Sour Patch Kids Have Gelatin?
• Controversial Non-Vegan Ingredients In Sour Patch Products
• Are Sour Patch Kids Vegan?
• Are Sour Patch Watermelons Vegan?
• Are Sour Punch Straws Vegan?
• Sour Patch Kids FAQS
• Best Vegan Alternatives to Sour Patch Kids, Watermelon & Punch Straws
• Final Thoughts
• More Vegan Food Answers!

What does it mean to be vegan?

If you follow a vegan lifestyle you do not use or consume any products that are derived from animals, or any ingredients or products in which animals were harmed in any way. For example, ingredients or products that have been tested on animals are not considered vegan. For a clearer understanding of what it means to be vegan versus plant-based, read this article.

Are Sour Patch Products Vegan-Friendly?

There is no straight answer to this question.  I know that doesn't sound very helpful.  Many people do consider them to be vegan friendly because the ingredients are not one's that typically come from animals, but here's what I do know – they include sugars, artificial flavorings, glycerin, and food coloring.

Some of these may have been tested on animals or could be derived from an animal bi-product. If you follow a strict vegan diet and want to stay from anything that has a chance of being any of these, then you may want to stay away from Sour Patch products.

Do Sour Patch Kids Have Gelatin?

Gelatin is the main ingredient that vegans look for in candy to know if it is vegan-friendly or not.  That is because gelatin is made from boiling parts of skin, tendons, ligaments, and animal bones from pigs or cows with water.

Here's the good news – No, Sour Patch Kids do not have gelatin, which is actually rare for a mainstream, gummy-type candy.  This is one reason why many people consider these to be vegan friendly.  While some other candies are bound together with the use of agar agar, or pectin, these candies use cornstarch and corn syrup instead of gelatin.

Just a note – if you are in the United Kingdom, the packages for Sour Patch Kids in your country do state that they have gelatin in them, meaning that those are not vegan friendly.

Controversial Non-Vegan Ingredients In Sour Patch Products

Processed Sugar

Sugar is not always vegan-friendly.  It is made of either sugar beets or sugarcane. If the sugar is made from beets it is turned into sugar using a diffuser. However, the use of bone char is used if the sugar comes from sugarcane. Since many manufacturers use both beet sugar and cane sugar, it is difficult to trace where the sugar comes from and how it has been processed. The bone char is used to give sugar its white color. Some companies, though, use granular carbon instead of bone char to refine their sugar, making it vegan friendly. There is no way to know how the sugar in these candies was processed/refined, so if you don't want to chance it, this may knock them out of the vegan category for you.

Mondelez International is the company that produces Sour Patch Kids. According to their website, they state, that they have various sugar suppliers. Some of those sugar suppliers use bone char in their refining, and some do not. There is no way to know for sure which supplier was used in the box you pick up at the store.

Glycerin

This is an ingredient that sometimes comes from animal fats.  Sometimes products will contain vegetable glycerin, which is vegan friendly, but Sour Patch products do not specify what type is used in their candies.  If you're not comfortable with the fact that this may have come from animal fat, you'll want to steer away from Sour Patch candies.

Artificial Colors

Because some artificial colors are tested on animals, this makes them controversial in the vegan world.  The most infamous color to look out for is red 4, which is not in Sour Patch products, but they do contain Red 40.  This can be made out of petroleum which is sometimes tested on animals, making this a controversial ingredient when you are trying to determine if these are a vegan-friendly treat.

Artificial Flavors

All Sour Patch products mention artificial flavors on their ingredients list, but do not specify what they are.  Because some labs test these on animals such as mice and rats, they are not always vegan friendly, but with these candies, there is no way to know.  If you are on a very strict vegan diet, this may be a reason to stay away from Sour Patch Kids.

Are Sour Patch Kids Vegan?

Sour Patch makes several different products, the most popular being their Sour Patch Kids.  There is no clear answer on whether these are vegan or not because there is no way to know how their ingredients were processed.  They seem vegan-friendly at first glance, but if you're really familiar with where each ingredient comes from, some of them are controversial.

United States Ingredients In Sour Patch Kids

• Sugar – This is controversial, depending on how it is refined.
• Invert Sugar
• Corn Syrup
• Modified Corn Starch
• Tartaric Acid
• Citric Acid
• Natural & Artificial Flavor – This is a big gray area because they do not specify   what these flavors are and what they are made of.
• Yellow 6
• Red 40 – This is different from the controversial Red 4, but still may have been tested on animals.
• Yellow 5
• Blue 1

UK Ingredients in Sour Patch Kids

• Sugar – Since these are made in the UK it is unlikely they use the bones of cattle during the refining process.
• Glucose Syrup
• Water
• Starch
• Gelatine – This is the key ingredient that makes UK Sour Patch kids not vegan. It is derived from the tendons and ligaments of animals.
• Malic Acid
• Concentrated apple juice
• Colors including anthocyanins, vegetable carbon, paprika extract, lutein, and curcumin
• Acidity regulator from calcium citrates
• Palm oil
• Flavorings

As you can see Sour Patch Kids in the UK are not vegan or vegetarian because they contain gelatin. You will also notice that the food coloring used in the UK version is different from that of the US version. This is because synthetic food coloring in the US is banned in the UK and EU due to health problems.

Are Sour Patch Watermelons Vegan?

Like with Sour Patch Kids, the Sour Patch Watermelons leave a bit of a gray area as to whether or not they are vegan.  They contain sugar that could have been refined using cattle bone (many sugars are refined this way, but with products like this there is no way to know if it was or not).  They also contain vague "artificial flavors".

Ingredients In Sour Patch Watermelon

• Sugar – Just like in the Sour Patch Kids, we do not know how this sugar was refined and whether or not animal products were used.
• Invert Sugar (this helps with the crystallization)
• Corn Syrup
• Modified Corn Starch
• Citric Acid
• Tartaric Acid
• Natural and Artificial Flavors – Again, it does not state what these flavors are or where they came from.
• Titanium Dioxide
• Red 40- Again, this could have been tested on animals.
• Yellow 5
• Blue 1

Are Sour Punch Straws Vegan?

While Sour Punch Straws taste similar to Sour Patch Kids, they are actually made by a different company.  Like Sour Patch products, these do not use gelatin, so many people consider them to be vegan friendly.  They do have some of the same controversial ingredients as Sour Patch products, though.

Ingredients In Sour Punch Straws

• Corn Syrup
• Wheat Flour
• Sugar – It is not specified how the sugar is made, so there is no way to know if it is refined using bone char.
• Citric Acid
• Malic Acid
• Tartaric Acid
• Glyceryl Monostearate
• Glycerin – This is one ingredient that stands out in these candies as opposed to Sour Patch Kids, which do not contain glycerin.  This ingredient is often made from animal fats.  These Sour Straws could be made from vegetable glycerin which is vegan friendly, but because it is not specified, there is no way to tell.
• Artificial Flavor – Like with the Sour Patch products, this is very vague.  It is unknown which flavors they are or how they were made.  Because some artificial flavors are derivatives of animal products or are tested on animals, this ingredient is somewhat controversial.
• Artificial Color (Blue 1, Blue 1 Lake, Yellow 5, Yellow 5 Lake) – None of these colors are known to be tested on animals.

Sour Patch Kids FAQS

Are Sour Patch products gluten-free?

Yes, Sour Patch Kids and their other products are gluten-free. There is no wheat or gluten in them.

Are Sour Patch products kosher?

No, they are not Kosher. Since the candy made in the United States does not contain gelatin, you would think that it would be Kosher. However, they are not Kosher because some of the other ingredients such as artificial coloring, flavors, and natural ingredients could be derived from pork products.

Best Vegan Alternatives to Sour Patch Kids, Watermelon & Punch Straws

Sometimes you just can't help but crave a sweet treat.  There are some yummy alternatives to Sour Patch Kids & Sour Punch Straws that taste just as delicious and are guaranteed vegan-friendly.

Yum Earth makes sour candies that can be found at Target, or even on Amazon.  I love their Organic Sour Beans.

Squish is another brand that makes vegan-friendly candy.  They have SO many options.  I've never seen it in stores, but they have a wide variety available on their website.  They even have a Vegan Variety Pack so you can try a few and find your favorite.  Not all of their products are vegan, though, so be sure to select that category when browsing.

Another brand that sells vegan sour candies is Pink Panda. Their candies come in cute shapes, have less sugar, no artificial flavors or colors, and are vegan!

If you're really adventurous, or just love to cook, try making your own vegan sour candy!  I'm sure that it would be delicious. If you try this, be sure to come back and let me know how it turned out!

Final Thoughts

When looking at Sour Patch Kids, Watermelon & Punch Straws, there is no clear-cut answer on if they are vegan or Not.  It depends on how strict you are on living a vegan lifestyle.

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Source: https://www.keepingthepeas.com/are-sour-patch-kids-vegan/

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