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Chex cereal is a classic and beloved breakfast cereal, having been around for generations. It was first released by the Ralston Purina Company in 1937, and has since become an iconic breakfast food in the United States. But, is Chex Cereal vegan?
Almost all flavors of Chex cereal might be vegan but they contain natural flavor and vitamin D3. Both of which could contain ingredients derived from animals.
Below is a table showing Chex Cereal flavors and its vegan status.
| Flavor | Vegan Status |
| Rice Chex | Maybe, contains Vitamin D3 |
| Corn Chex | Maybe, contains Vitamin D3 |
| Wheat Chex | Maybe, contains Vitamin D3 |
| Chocolate Chex | Maybe, contains Natural Flavor & Vitamin D3. |
| Apple Cinnamon Chex | Maybe, contains Natural Flavor & Vitamin D3. |
| Peanut Butter Chex | Maybe, contains Natural Flavor & Vitamin D3. |
| Cinnamon Chex | Maybe, contains Natural Flavor & Vitamin D3. |
| Blueberry Chex | Maybe, contains Natural Flavor & Vitamin D3. |
| Honey Nut Chex | No, contains Honey. |
Chex Cereal Ingredients
Below is a list of ingredients from all the flavors that I could find.
- A B Vitamin (Folic Acid)
- A B Vitamin (Niacinamide)
- Baking Soda
- Baking Soda.
- Blueberry Powder
- Calcium Carbonate
- Canola Oil
- Cinnamon
- Cocoa Processed With Alkali
- Corn Meal
- Corn Starch
- Dried Apples
- Honey
- Iron And Zinc (Mineral Nutrients)
- Molasses
- Monoglycerides
- Natural Almond Flavor
- Natural Flavor
- Peanut Butter
- Rice
- Salt
- Sugar
- Vitamin A (Palmitate)
- Vitamin B1 (Thiamin Mononitrate)
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
- Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride)
- Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbate)
- Vitamin D3
- Vitamin E (Mixed Tocopherols)
- Whole Grain Corn
- Whole Grain Rice
- Whole Grain Wheat
[Source]
As always I’ve highlighted the ingredients that we need to take a closer look at.
Non-Vegan Ingredients
Honey
Since honey is made by bees, it’s not a vegan-friendly ingredient.
Questionable Ingredients
Sugar
Sugar is a controversial ingredient within the vegan community and reason for this is the possible presence of bone char from dead cows. The most common sugar types are beet sugar and cane sugar, with the latter being the most popular sugar in the candy and sweets industry.
Raw cane sugar is always vegan-friendly, but when the cane sugar gets refined it could become a problem. In the refining process the sugar is also bleached, where a common method is to use bone char. This would make the sugar non-vegan in the eyes of vegans.
Natural Flavor
The second questionable ingredient is natural flavors and the problem with here is that it’s an umbrella term, meaning that companies can add whatever ingredients they wish to accomplish their taste inside natural flavors without needing to disclose all the ingredients.
If the ingredients are animal-sourced, they wouldn’t be disclosed on the ingredients label. So vegans needs to be careful when it comes to natural flavors and unless the product is labeled vegan, we can’t be sure.
Corn
The reason I mention corn is that it is one of the most common GMO crops in USA. GMO crops requires a high amount of herbicide and the problem with this is the possibility that is contaminates the surrounding environment, damaging it beyond repair
Vitamin A (Palmitate) & Vitamin D3
These ingredients can be derived from both plants and animals. Vitamin D3 can be derived from sheep wool and the only way to be sure about the source is to contact the company and ask.
Conclusion
All flavors of Chex cereal contains vitamin D3 and the source of this ingredient is unknown making it difficult to determine if they are vegan-friendly. This is a common problem for many cereal brands, because vitamin D3 is often added and the source is rarely disclosed.
Thanks for reading, take care!
