Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this article, meaning at no extra cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. (Full Disclosure)
Now And Laters candy was first introduced in 1963 and has been a favorite of children ever since. The candy is a chewy, fruit-flavored taffy that comes in a variety of colors. What makes Now And Laters unique is that the flavors are not always the same as the color of the candy. But, are Now And Laters vegan?
Almost all flavors are suited for dietary vegans because they contain artificial colors and no ingredients derived from animals. Original Mix Chewy and Banana Chewy are not vegan because they contain egg.
Below is a table showing Now And Laters flavors and its vegan status.
| Flavor | Vegan Status |
| Original Mix | Dietary Vegan. |
| Berry Smash | Dietary Vegan. |
| Banana | Dietary Vegan. |
| Watermelon | Dietary Vegan. |
| Strawberry | Dietary Vegan. |
| Cherry | Dietary Vegan. |
| Apple | Dietary Vegan. |
| Grape | Dietary Vegan. |
| Blue Raspberry | Dietary Vegan. |
| Pineapple | Dietary Vegan. |
| Tropical Punch | Dietary Vegan. |
| Original Mix Chewy | No, contains Egg White. |
| Banana Chewy | No, contains Egg White. |
| Morphs | Dietary Vegan. |
Now And Laters Ingredients
Below is a list of ingredients from all the flavors that I could find.
- Artificial Flavors
- Blue 1
- Blue 2
- Citric Acid
- Corn Syrup
- Egg White
- Palm Oil
- Potato Starch
- Red 40
- Salt
- Soy Lecithin (An Emulsifier)
- Sugar
- Yellow 5
- Yellow 6
[Source]
As always I’ve highlighted the ingredients that we need to take a closer look at.
Non-Vegan Ingredients
Egg White
Since eggs comes hens it’s not vegan-friendly. Vegans don’t eat anything that comes from the animal kingdom.
Questionable Ingredients
Sugar
Sugar is a controversial ingredient within the vegan community and reason for this is the risk of bone char from dead cows being used in the production process. This problem is narrowed down to refined cane sugar, which means that raw cane sugar is always 100% vegan-friendly.
So why is the cane sugar refined? It’s because it helps the cane sugar fit the product better and it’s in this refining process the cane sugar is also bleached. It’s in this bleaching process where the bone char might have been used.
So some vegans tends to stay away from sugar all together while others don’t. The choice is yours here.
Artificial Colors
This is a highly controversial ingredient within the vegan community. The problem with this ingredient is the fact that animal testing is still being conducted. Ethical vegans tends to stay away from this ingredient because of the animal testing that has been done.
There are other methods of testing such as computer simulations that can do a great job instead. There are also several health issues connected to artificial colors such as hyperactivity in children.
So be careful when consuming these colors and if you want a healthier option for artificial colors then look for colors that are made from fruits and vegetables instead.
Palm Oil
Another ingredient that is a big issue is palm oil. We have seen how much of an impact it has on the environment and how it devastates the orangutans and rhinos habitat. This has been brought to the public eye by a lot of videos on YouTube, a lot of them heart breaking, showing orangutans trying to fight off an excavator.
Many people is staying away from palm oil because of the severe deforestation taking place to make room for palm plantations. The impact on the environment is enormous, especially on the rainforest, but also exploiting animals does not align with veganism.
However there is a way to make palm oil more vegan-friendly and that is called RSPO. It’s a non-profit organisation that helps companies produce and buy sustainable palm oil.
Corn & Soy
Corn and soy are two of the common GMO crops in USA and the reason I mention these is the fact they require a high amount of herbicide. This can pollute the surrounding ecosystem and damage it beyond repair.
Conclusion
It’s great that so many flavors of Now and Laters are suited for dietary vegans. For the most part ethical vegans might want to stay away since they contain artificial colors, which are know for being tested on animals.
Thanks for reading, take care!
