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SweeTarts are a classic candy favorite among many generations of candy lovers. These crunchy, tangy treats have been around since the 1960s, and over the years they have become a popular choice for those looking for a tasty snack. But, are SweeTarts vegan?
Sweet Tarts Original might be vegan but contains calcium stearate and natural flavors. The rest of the flavors contains gelatin or eggs and are not suitable for vegans.
Below is a table showing SweeTarts flavors and its vegan status.
| Flavor | Vegan Status |
| Sweet Tarts Original | Maybe, contains Calcium Stearate and Natural Flavors. |
| Sweet Tarts Ropes Bites Mixed Fruit | No, contains Gelatin and Confectioner’s Glaze. |
| Sweet Tarts Ropes Sour Apple | No, contains Gelatin |
| Sweet Tarts Ropes Collision Watermelon Berry | No, contains Gelatin |
| Sweet Tarts Ropes Bites Twisted Mixed Berry | No, contains Gelatin and Confectioner’s Glaze. |
| Sweet Tarts Ropes Twisted Rainbow Soft and Chewy | No, contains Gelatin and Confectioner’s Glaze. |
| Sweet Tarts Ropes Cherry Punch Soft & Chewy | No, contains Gelatin and Confectioner’s Glaze. |
| Sweet Tarts Ropes Tangy Strawberry Soft & Chewy | No, contains Gelatin and Confectioner’s Glaze. |
| Sweet Tarts Chewy Fusions Fruit Punch Medley | No, contains Gelatin and Confectioner’s Glaze. |
| Sweet Tarts Mini Chewy Mixed Fruit | No, contains Egg Albumen. |
| Sweet Tarts Mini Chewy Berries & Cherries | No, contains Egg White. |
| Sweet Tarts Extreme Sour Chewy | No, contains Egg Albumen. |
| Sweet Tarts Giant Chewy | No, contains Egg Albumen. |
SweeTarts Ingredients
Below is a list of ingredients from all the flavors that I could find.
- Acetic Acid
- Beta-Carotene Color
- Blue 1
- Blue 1 Lake
- Blue 2 Lake
- Canola Oil
- Cocnut Oil
- Carmine (Color)
- Carnauba Wax
- Cellulose Gum
- Citric Acid
- Confectioner’s Glaze (Lac-Resin)
- Corn Starch
- Corn Syrup
- Dextrose
- Dl-Malic Acid
- Gelatin
- Glycerin
- Lactic Acid
- Maltodextrin
- Modified Corn Starch
- Mono-And-Diglycerides
- Natural Flavors
- Red 40
- Red 40 Lake
- Salt
- Sodium Citrate
- Sorbitol
- Spirulina Extract Color
- Sugar
- Turmeric Oleoresin Color
- Water
- Watermelon Juice Concentrate
- Wheat Flour
- Yellow 5
- Yellow 5 Lake
[Source]
As always I’ve highlighted the ingredients that we need to take a closer look at.
Non-Vegan Ingredients
Confectioner’s Glaze (Lac-Resin)
Also called carmine is not a vegan-friendly ingredient because it’s made from bugs in Asia.
Questionable Ingredients
Sugar
Sugar is a controversial ingredient because of the risk of bone char from dead cows being used in the production process. Some sugar types are vegan, but cane sugar can be a problem for vegans.
Raw cane sugar is always vegan-friendly, but cane sugar is often refined before used in foods and in this process the sugar is also bleached and a common bleaching method is to use bone char. Exploiting animals in the production process is does not align with veganism.
Natural Flavors
Natural flavors consists of several ingredients and the problem with this is the fact that the source of these ingredients is never disclosed on the ingredients label.
So ingredients could come from animals and vegans would never know, because the ingredients label doesn’t disclose this.
Artificial Colors
This ingredient is highly debated within the vegan community. The main issue here is the animal testing that is still being conducted and there are other testing methods such as computer simulations that can do a great job instead.
It’s also worth to mention that there are several health issues connected to artificial colors such as hyperactivity in children. This makes me stay away from artificial colors and look for candy that uses colors from fruits and veggies instead for a healthier option.
Corn
Corn is one of the most common GMO crops in the US and a problem when it comes to GMO’s is the high amount of herbicide that is needed in order to keep pests away. This can pollute the surrounding ecosystem and cause severe damage to the environment.
Glycerin, Mono- & -Diglycerides and Lactic Acid
These three ingredients can be derived from animals or plants.
Conclusion
Gelatin is unfortunately a very common ingredient in candy and this results in vegan not being able to eat a lot of candy. However the candy industry is becoming more aware about veganism and some companies are switching away from gelatin to serve a wider market.
Thanks for reading, take care!
