Finding food that is vegan, particularly candy, isn’t an easy task. Actually, it’s virtually impossible!
Even if it’s made with vegan ingredients, it does not mean it’s non-animal! However, with the rumor going around regarding the possibility that Fruit Gushers are vegan, we had to dive deep into the issue.
So, are gushers truly vegan? Gushers don’t contain animal products, which makes them suitable for a variety of vegan diets. However, they contain glycerine, sugar, and palm oil. These could be made from animal byproducts or may have negative effects on the environmental.
In this article, I’ll take an in-depth look into each ingredient used in the making of this sweet treat and will also go over the controversy surrounding them.
We’ll then be able to address another question about these snacks , and take to see if the various flavors are vegan, too.
What Are Gushers?
Fruit Gushers are fruit snacks that taste similar to Fruit Roll-Ups.
They are incredibly soft chewy and nearly gummy gel-like exterior which is encased by a delicious fruity juice inside. If you chew on the sweet, juice spills out, and this is why they are called that.
Gushers possess a distinctive shape , which actually is a term: hexagonal bipyramid with an elongated shape. It’s a mouthful, isn’t it? Yet, no one seems to be concerned all that as much about the shape of it, rather its unique flavor and delicious texture.
The candies were first launched in the year the year 1991, by a manufacturing firm known as General Mills under their popular brand name, Betty Crocker. At first, they released two flavors: Gushin’ Grape as well as Strawberry Splash.
These candy candies became a massive success due to their iconic shape and distinctive textures. There are a variety of kinds available and also different flavors.
There are Gushers in sour, tropical fruit, lemonade, raspberry orange, lemonade, and more. Of course, you must examine every flavor to determine if a particular one can be considered vegan.
Ingredients Used To Make Gushers
Gushers have a lengthy list of ingredients and we’ll discuss each of them. It is only the way to identify and comprehend why they’re or aren’t vegan. Let’s begin.
In spite of the many types, all Gusher products are produced using almost the same ingredients. Color and flavoring are the two major ingredients that vary between varieties.
The primary ingredients in Gushers comprise sugar and corn syrup. They also include dried corn syrup, puree of pear concentrate modified corn starch maltodextrin, fructose, and palm oil.
Other ingredients, which are included but are not more than 2 percent include cottonseed oil and glycerine carrageenan, grape juice concentrate, citric acid, monoglycerides, malic acid, sodium citrate, ascorbic acid as well as natural flavor. You can say that this is quite a long list when in comparison to other vegan-friendly candies.
Are These Ingredients Vegan?
On first inspection, there doesn’t seem to be any ingredient that isn’t vegan. Most candy manufacturers make use of setting agents such as gelatin (which isn’t vegan and made from animal bones). However, these candies do not make use of it.
The most difficult thing about these candies and perhaps the biggest issue with vegan candy is what is considered “vegan.”
Even if an ingredient doesn’t appear to be an animal byproduct, certain people will consider the ingredient as non-vegan if they’re not sustainable or sustainably produced.
This opens the door to our query which is one of the reasons there’s so much debate over the topic.
The Questionable Ingredients
Also despite these substances not being the byproducts of animals, some of them aren’t considered vegan at all. Let’s review some of the more questionable ingredients.
Sugar
Sugar is a plant-based item. The reason it is not vegan to many is that the majority of the sugar-based products processed with bone charcoal. Bone char is a way to help sugar cane preserve its white hue.
Although the sugar does not contain bone char, the simple fact that it’s processed with an animal product can cause a large number of vegans to avoid refined sugar or processed sugar.
Certain sugars aren’t processed with bone char – be aware of that. The type of sugar that is used to make Gushers isn’t known (whether or not it made use of bones char) and it’s difficult to determine.
Glycerine
Glycerine is an inert and flavorless syrup that adds sweetness to candy, aids in helping keep them moist, and prevents growth of sugar crystals.
Glycerine is typically derived from plants, but it is not always. In addition, since General Mills has never released the exact glycerine that they make, there is possible that it’s animal-derived.
Carnauba Wax And Palm Oil
Both palm oil as well as Carnauba wax are extracted from palm trees, which means they are both plant-based. This is the point where the debate begins.
Palm forests are considered as a destructive crop, but not due to the plant’s own characteristics. However, palm trees are quick-growing, easy to harvest, which is why that more and more companies want to plant these trees.
That means thousands of acres of nature forest are cut down to make room for this lucrative tree. Deforestation is a devastating threat to the species that surround it.
This is the reason why many people do not think of them as vegan, as their impact on the planet is as damaging as the meat industry.
Furthermore, since General Mills doesn’t show any evidence of using sustainably sourced palm products, there’s no way to tell whether or not the product is 100% vegetarian (according to your personal definition).
“Natural” Flavorings
You may be surprised there are a lot of these “natural flavorings” aren’t actually natural in the way you believe they are.
“Natural” can refer to anything that’s not manufactured and includes animals within that category. Many flavorings are made from animals’ products or products from animals.
One example of an animal-based flavoring that is marketed as “natural” is known as castoreum. It comes from beavers and used to make the most delicious vanilla, strawberry and raspberry flavors.
There are reports that this flavor is being used in Strawberry Splash in the Gushers range, but there’s no proof that can be verified.
The good thing lies in the fact that castoreum can be scarce and is mostly used to make Ice cream and ice cream, which you’re unlikely to consume when you’re already adhering to the vegan diet.
Artificial Colorings
In the case of flavors, there’s a controversy over artificial colorants in processed foods.
The most common food coloring ingredients employed in Gushers are Red 40 and Blue 1, as well as Yellow 5, 6 and. Like normal paint and colors, these primary colors are combined to make a range of shades.
Red 40 is often confused with Red 4, which is an insect-derived colorant. Red 40 is a petroleum-derived product that is safe to eat as well as vegan.
Yellow 5 (Tartrazine) and Yellow 6 (Sunset Yellow) are also petroleum-based products. Yellow 6 could also be produced from strawberries. Blue 1 (or brilliant blue FCF) is chemically synthesized and is also regarded as vegan.
So, Are Fruit Gushers Vegan?
It’s nearly impossible to determine which components were created from animal byproducts and it is difficult to pinpoint exactly which type of a product they utilized or from where it came from.
If you are adamant about the concerns or concerns we have discussed, avoid these sweets. However, if you just take a look at ingredients made from animals and candies, they are great!
Which Flavors Are Vegan?
Based on our research we could not find any flavors or varieties that aren’t non-vegan. As we’ve already mentioned the flavors that are natural typically come from plants. This is especially true of candy that is fruit-flavored.
Gusher products that are made from vegan ingredients (from our study) include:
Fruit Gushers Variety Pack, Super Sour Gushers, Fruit Gushers Flavor Mixers and Super Sour Berry Fruit Gushers.
Related Questions
Are Gushers Vegetarian?
Gushers, for sure, are vegetarians. The major difference between vegetarianism and veganism is that vegetarians do not consume any of the animals as such, and vegans do not consume any product or ingredient created or made by animals.
For instance, dairy and eggs are both animal-derived which is why they are not eaten by vegans.
The debate over some ingredients being vegan or not isn’t always relevant to the standard definition of vegetarianism. Gushers are 100% vegetarian.
Are Gushers Gluten-Free?
Gushers are gluten-free as well. Sugar candies aren’t the only ones that are gluten-free since they’re mostly made up of sugar pure, along with certain artificial ingredients.
If you are ever unsure about ingredients that are gluten-free take a look for the following ingredients: barley, wheat, rye and spelt, kamut, spelt and triticale. All of these are gluten-containing ingredients which are commonly used in sweet treats.
Are Gushers Dairy-Free?
Gushers do not contain dairy. Naturally, if they’re generally regarded as vegan, it implies that they don’t contain dairy.
Are Gushers Kosher?
Based on our research we could not find any evidence to suggest that Gushers aren’t kosher. However the packaging doesn’t say any information about it, nor do any other article.
Wrapping up
Are Fruit Gushers Vegan?
The company that makes Fruit Gushers, General Mills has recently made the decision to inform the public about the ingredients used in the famous fruit snack. What did the results say? It’s been determined that Fruit Gushers surely don’t contain any animal by-products. Thus, Fruit Gushers are vegan.
