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Fruit By The Foot is a classic snack beloved by both children and adults alike. This sugary, fruity treat has been around since the early 1990s and is still just as popular today. But, is Fruit By The Foot vegan?
Fruit By The Foot might be suitable for dietary vegans, but it contains natural flavors, which could contain ingredients derived from animals. They also contain artificial colors, which makes Fruit By The Foot unsuitable for ethical vegans.
Below is a table showing Is Fruit By The Foot flavors and its vegan status.
| Flavor | Vegan Status |
| Berry Tie-Dye | Maybe, contains Natural Flavors & Artificial Colors. |
| Strawberry Tie-Dye | Maybe, contains Natural Flavors & Artificial Colors. |
| Blue Raspberry Tie-Dye | Maybe, contains Natural Flavors & Artificial Colors. |
| Cherry | Maybe, contains Natural Flavors & Artificial Colors. |
| Lemon | Maybe, contains Natural Flavors & Artificial Colors. |
| Orange | Maybe, contains Natural Flavors & Artificial Colors. |
Is Fruit By The Foot Ingredients
Below is a list of ingredients from all the flavors that I could find.
- Acetylated Monoglycerides
- Blue 1
- Carrageenan
- Citric Acid
- Corn Syrup
- Locust Bean Gum
- Malic Acid
- Maltodextrin
- Monoglycerides
- Natural And Artificial Flavor
- Palm Oil
- Pear Puree Concentrate
- Potassium Citrate
- Red 40
- Sodium Citrate
- Sugar
- Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
- Xanthan Gum
[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 for vegans because there is a situation where sugar might be classified as non-vegan. Two of the most common sugar types are beet sugar and cane sugar, the latter being the most popular sugar in the candy and sweets industry.
Raw cane sugar is vegan and so is raw beet sugar, but cane sugar is often refined to be used in the product and then in this process the sugar is also bleached. A common method is to use bone char from dead cows and this does not align with veganism.
Natural Flavors
The second ingredient is natural flavor and this one is a tricky ingredient for vegans because it’s an umbrella term. This means that companies are not obligated to disclose what natural flavor is made of and it can consist of many ingredients.
So it could contain ingredients derived from animals and it would not show in the ingredients label.
Palm Oil
Palm oil is one of the most controversial ingredients when it comes to the vegan movement. The reason for this is the massive deforestation that takes place in order for the palm oil to be produced.
The wild life is suffering because of this and animals like orangutans are being forced away from their natural habitat. However there is a way for the palm oil to be more vegan-friendly and it’s called RSPO.
It’s a non profit organization that helps companies produce and buy sustainable palm oil with minimal impact on the environment.
Artificial Colors
This ingredient is very controversial within the vegan community and the reason for this is the animal testing that has been done. It’s outdated and has been obsolete for a very long time. There are many modern testing methods such as computer simulations that can do a great job instead.
here are also health issues connected to these colors such as hyperactivity in children.
Corn
The reason I mention corn is that it’s one of the most common GMO crops in USA. GMO crops require a high amount of herbicide and the problem with this is the possibility that is contaminates the surrounding environment, damaging it beyond repair.
Conclusion
There are many flavors of Is Fruit By The Foot and it’s not easy to determine if they are vegan-friendly or not. The most problematic ingredient is natural flavors, which could contain ingredients derived from animals. Since they contain artificial colors, they are not suitable for ethical vegans.
Thanks for reading, take care!
