Are Fruit Salad Sweets Vegan?

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Have you recently started a Vegan diet? Are you now wondering what sweets you can still eat? Well, what about Fruit Salads specifically? Can you eat them? Well, you’ll be pleased you stopped by. Here is why…

So, are fruit salad sweets vegan? Fruit salad sweets are not vegan. This includes both Fruit Salad Chews and Fruit Salad Softies. This is because Fruit Salad chews contain Palm Oil, and Fruit Salad Softies contain Beef Gelatine.

We will look at why both of those ingredients are not suitable for vegans shortly.

But what you need to know at this stage is that, unfortunately, both are off-limits.

What Are Fruit Salad Sweets Made Of?

Fruit salad sweets are made of a combination of glucose syrup and sugar, along with a number of flavorings and preservatives. However, the exact ingredient list differs depending on the exact Fruit Salad products; chews or softies. 

Let us now take a look at the full ingredient list of the chews, vs. the softies, for reference.

I’ve also bolded the non-vegan ingredients, too.

Fruit Salad Chew Ingredients

  • Glucose Syrup,
  • Sugar,
  • Palm Oil,
  • Acid (Citric Acid),
  • Hydrolysed Pea Protein,
  • Flavorings,
  • Fruit Juice Concentrates (Pineapple, Apple),
  • Colors (Anthocyanins, Paprika Extract),
  • Acidity Regulator (Trisodium Citrate)

Fruit Salad Softies Ingredients

  • Sugar,
  • Glucose Syrup,
  • Maize Starch,
  • Water,
  • Beef Gelatine,
  • Acid (Citric Acid),
  • Sunflower Oil,
  • Flavorings,
  • Colors (Anthocyanins, Paprika Extract),
  • Glazing Agent (Carnauba Wax)

Why Is Palm Oil Not Vegan?

Palm oil is not vegan due to its impact and destruction on the environment; the growing and extraction process contributes significantly to deforestation, which exploits animals – causing them pain, suffering, and death.

Palm oil is immensely damaging to the environment; vast areas of rainforest are destroyed to enable palm oil trees to grow.

It is the destruction of such an environment that has far-reaching implications for animals and wildlife. Several species of animals are actually threatened with extinction due to such practices.

In fact, Palm Oil as a commodity is immensely challenging to produce sustainably.

Now, if we refer back to the Vegan Societies definition of veganism, we can see why Palm Oil is inherently non-vegan:

“A way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.”

Therefore, not eating Fruit Salads is ‘possible’ and ‘practicable; 

Why Is Gelatine Not Vegan

Gelatine is not vegan because it is derived from animals. It is an animal product; that is either sourced from bones, skins, hides, or connective tissue.

It is the beef gelatine that gives Fruit Salad Softies their harder texture. It gives them their thicker consistency.

However, this ingredient naturally requires the death of animals to be made and available for use.

Finally

Fruit Salads are not vegan, and that includes all varieties.

I am mostly referring to the Barret brand here, although they do seem to have a monopoly on this particular sweet and market.

In fact, in the majority of cases, you’ll find that they are the brand or manufacturer being sold.

Of course, the are some exceptions here.

But most of these small chews do not come with ingredient labels or any means to check.

So unless you can ask the brand or manufacturer directly, fruit salads are best avoided.

This isn’t a food to risk; chances are they will contain Palm Oil and/or Gelatin anyway.

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