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Push Pops are a classic treat that has been enjoyed by people of all ages for decades. Whether you’re having a summer picnic, celebrating a birthday, or just want a refreshing frozen treat, Push Pops are the perfect choice. But, are Push Pops vegan?
Push Pops might be suitable for dietary vegans but they contain lactic acid, which could be derived from animals. They also contain artificial colors, making them unsuitable for ethical vegans.
Below is a table showing Push Pops flavors and its vegan status.
| Flavor | Vegan Status |
| Push Pop Berry Blast | Maybe, contains Lactic Acid. |
| Push Pop Blue Raspberry | Maybe, contains Lactic Acid. |
| Push Pop Watermelon | Maybe, contains Lactic Acid. |
| Push Pop Strawberry | Maybe, contains Lactic Acid & Natural Flavors. |
| Push Pops Cotton Candy | Maybe, contains Lactic Acid. |
Push Pops Ingredients
Below is a list of ingredients from all the flavors that I could find.
- Blue 1
- Buffered Lactic Acid
- Glucose Syrup
- Natural & Artificial Flavors
- Red 40
- Sugar
- Yellow 5
[Source]
As always I’ve highlighted the ingredients that we need to take a closer look at.
Questionable Ingredients
Sugar
Sugar is a controversial ingredient within the vegan community. Raw cane sugar is always vegan, but the cane sugar often gets refined to fit the product. This is a problem for some vegans, because in the refining process the sugar is also bleached.
A common method to bleach the sugar is to use bone char from dead cows and this has made many vegans upset. Exploiting animals in the production process would make that sugar non-vegan.
Natural Flavor
Natural flavors is a common ingredient in many food products. The problem with natural flavors is the fact that companies can add whatever ingredient they want and only have to call it natural flavors.
This means that the source of the ingredients are not disclosed and it’s impossible to know if it contains non-vegan ingredients.
Artificial Colors
The next controversial ingredient is artificial colors. The vegan community is torn about this ingredient and I will try and explain why as good as I can. The main issue here is the animal testing that has been conducted and maybe still are going on today.
It’s old and outdated. There are several modern ways to performs tests and of them is computer simulations, which can yield great results.
There are also several health issues connected to these colors such as hyperactivity in children. So be careful when consuming products with artificial colors and look for candy that uses colors from fruits and veggies instead for a healthier option.
Lactic Acid
This ingredient can be sourced from both plants and animals.
Conclusion
As mentioned earlier, Ring Pops could be suitable for dietary vegans, but the source of the lactic acid is still a problem. There are many vegan-friendly candy brands today such as YumEarth, where you don’t have to guess the ingredients since a lot of their candies are labeled vegan by a trusted organization.
Thanks for reading, take care!
