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Today’s topic is Ring Pops, a very popular candy with various flavors to satisfy most taste buds. One of my favorites growing up. I researched all the ingredients and today I will be answering the question; are Ring Pops Vegan?
Ring Pops are not vegan. They contain various artificial colors that are still beeing tested on animals, which we vegans are heavily against. The Ring Pops Gummies contain two non-vegan ingredients, gelatin and palm oil. They also contain some questionable ingredients such as sugar, coconut oil, carnauba wax and artificial flavors.
I created a table to give you a quick overview of the vegan status for all Ring Pop flavors.
| Flavor | Vegan Status |
| Ring Pop Cherry | No, it contains Red 40. |
| Ring Pop Blue Raspberry | No, it contains Blue 1. |
| Ring Pop Watermelon | No, it contains Blue 1. |
| Ring Pop Strawberry | No, it contains Red 3, Blue 1. |
| Ring Pop Blue Raspberry, Watermelon | No, it contains Yellow 5, Blue 1. |
| Ring Pop Berry Blast | No, it contains Red 40, Blue 1, Red 3. |
| Ring Pop Sour Cherry | No, it contains Red 40. |
| Ring Pop Sour Green Apple | No, it contains Blue 1. |
| Ring Pop Sour Watermelon | No, it contains Blue 1. |
| Ring Pop Gummies Chain | No, it contains Gelatin, Palm Oil, Carnauba Wax, Red 40, Blue 1, Yellow 6, Yellow 5. |
| Ring Pop Gummies Rings | No, it contains Gelatin, Palm Oil, Carnauba Wax, Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1. |
| Ring Pop Gummies Gems | No, it contains Gelatin, Palm Oil, Carnauba Wax, Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1, Yellow 6. |
In this article we will take a deep dive into the many non-vegan and questionable ingredients in Ring Pops together with some tasty vegan alternatives.
Ring Pop Ingredients [Analyzed]
Let’s take a look at the ingredients.
I have researched all the flavors and found the following ingredients:
- Sugar
- Corn Syrup
- Lactic Acid
- Sodium Lactate
- Natural & Artifical Flavors
- Artificial Colors (Red 40, Blue 1, Red 3, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Red 3)
- Titanium Dioxide
- Pear Juice Concentrate
- Citric Acid
- Pectin
- Sorbitol
- Malic Acid
- Water
- Glucose Syrup
- Palm Oil
- Glycering
- Coconut Oil
[Source]
The non-vegan and questionable ingredients have bolded and up next we will take a deep dive into these ingredients.
But first I just want to explain the reasoning behind the bolded ingredients.
Veganism is a lifestyle not only a diet.
Vegans eat a plant-based diet, avoiding products that are derivered from animals or tested on animals.
The Vegan Society has a great page that explains veganism, you can read it here.
These Four Ingredients Makes Ring Pops Not Vegan
Artificial Colors
There are not only one but several different artificial colors in Ring Pops such as Red 40, Blue 1, Red 3, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Red 3.
While it’s true that artificial colors do not contain any animal-derived ingredients, there is something else that makes this ingredient non-vegan.
Animal testing.
It is still beeing done, it is old and outdated.
There are modern ways to perform tests today such as computer simulations, cell cultures and human tissues.
As long as animal testing is performed this ingredient will remain non-vegan.
These artificial colors are also associated with several health risks.
You can read more about them here.
Gelatin
A protein derived from animals that is commonly used in candy.
Palm Oil
Next up we have palm oil. A vegetable oil that does not contain any animal-derived ingredients but contributes to several environmental issues resulting in the destruction of habitats for orangutan and other animals.
There is a way to make palm oil vegan-friendly and that’s through a not-for-profit organisation called RSPO.
They set up guidelines for companies to follow in order to produce sustainable palm oil.
Bazooka Candy Brands or The Topps Company is not a RSPO member.
Therefore the palm oil in Ring Pops is not vegan.
Carnauba Wax
Carnauba wax comes from palm leaves that are grown in Brazil.
Both humans and animals are exploited in the production.
There is something called Initiative for Responsible Carnauba that is in place to prevent this, however “Company” that is producing Ring Pops is not a member.
Carnauba wax consists of 10-16% fatty oils.
This oil can be made from both plants and animals.
There is no way to tell if tallow (derived from animals) is used.
Therefore we cannot call this ingredient vegan-friendly.
Questionable Ingredients In Ring Pops That Might Not Be Vegan
Sugar
This is one of the most discussed topics when it comes to veganism and candy.
You may already heard rumors about bone char beeing used in a lot of sugar.
Well that rumor is true.
The most common sugar used is in the candy industry is cane sugar and here is where the bone char comes into place.
The bleeching process of cane sugar commonly uses bone char from dead cows.
If you can find a vegan label on the product from a respected organisation then the sugar should be produced without bone char.
You can find the labels here.
Natural & Artificial Flavors
This is an umbrella term and companies that use any ingredient in here.
There is a natural favor that is approved by the FDA that comes from the anal gland of beavers.
This ingredient could very well be vegan, but it’s no way to know for sure.
Citric Acid & Corn Syrup
Both these product are produced with corn.
Citric acid be produced from other sources but corn is a common one.
According to this website, about 92% of the corn produced in the US is made from GMO crops.
GMO crops needs more pesticide, which contributes to the destruction of ecosystems around the crops.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is in itself plant-based but the production of the oil could be very questionable.
There are sources claiming that monkeys have been used in Tailand as labor.
They are trained to climb the palm tree and knock the coconuts loose with a stick.
Other than that coconut oil is a vegan-friendly oil.
Vegan Alternatives To Ring Pops
I searched long to find an vegan alternative to Ring Pops and I did find something.
It’s not rings, but lollipops that is 100% vegan and delicious.
If you want more more vegan candy ideas then take a look at my Best Vegan Candy List 2021.
Related Questions
Are Ring Pops Vegetarian?
Rings Pops are vegetarian. All flavors but three that we found. Ring Pop Gummies Chain, Ring Pop Gummies Rings and Ring Pop Gummies Gems contain gelatin making these flavors non-vegetarian. I made a table to show you the specific flavors we found and it’s vegetarian status.
| Flavor | Vegetarian Status |
| Ring Pop Cherry | All vegetarians. |
| Ring Pop Blue Raspberry | All vegetarians. |
| Ring Pop Watermelon | All vegetarians. |
| Ring Pop Strawberry | All vegetarians. |
| Ring Pop Blue Raspberry, Watermelon | All vegetarians. |
| Ring Pop Berry Blast | All vegetarians. |
| Ring Pop Sour Cherry | All vegetarians. |
| Ring Pop Sour Green Apple | All vegetarians. |
| Ring Pop Sour Watermelon | All vegetarians. |
| Ring Pop Gummies Chain | No, it contains Gelatin. |
| Ring Pop Gummies Rings | No, it contains Gelatin. |
| Ring Pop Gummies Gems | No, it contains Gelatin. |
I do recommend the vegan alternatives to further more stop animal-cruelty.
Are Ring Pops Dairy-Free?
Rings Pops do not contain any dairy products such as milk, whey or cheese. They do however contain other ingredients such as artificial colors and flavors that you should consume with care. You can read more in our analyzed ingredients section.
Conclusion
Thanks for sticking around this far.
As you can see from this article, a lot of ingredients might look like they are vegan and when analyzed further the truth reveals that they are in fact not vegan at all.
Animal testing of artificial colors as well as destruction of habits for wildlife when it comes to palm oil is something is something that should not be ignored by vegans.
The whole point of the vegan lifestyle is to stop animal-cruelty and by choosing vegan products, especially vegan-certified products, then we can give our support to companies that try to make a difference in the food industry.
I hope you learned something from this article that can benefit your vegan lifestyle.
