Are Haribo Gummy Bears Vegan?

Are Haribo Gummy Bears Vegan?
The answer: Mostly NO

Kids (and not only them) love these sticky and chewy candies that come in a variety of taste and color yet are Haribos vegan?

 

Haribo Gummy Bears are made using gelatin which disqualifies them from being vegan. Gelatin is derived from boiled tendons, skins, and bones is the element that makes these candies chewy. There are few gummy bears with pectin or starch rather than gelatin and these are definitely a better alternative for vegans.

Here is a well-shown process of how jelly-like candies are made (graphic):


 

Some Haribo Gummy flavors distributed in America include Orange which is orange in color, Raspberry which is Red in color, Pineapple which is colorless, Strawberry which is green in color and Lemon which is yellow in color. Although, quite honestly, some favor colors don’t usually match their respective flavors and we just don’t know why. I find this rather interesting.

 

Vegan varieties of Haribo are not really gummy and are mostly found in Europe. These sweets, however, cannot be compared in popularity to the Chewy Gummy Bears. For this reason, it may not be easy to find them on store shelves.

 

In response to the need for vegan products, the company introduced a vegan version of Haribo Fruit Gums that replaced gelatin in the Gummy Bears with agar-agar. Agar-agar is derived from seaweed plants. Other gummy candies make use of starch and plant based thickeners which make them fit for vegan consumption.

 

If you want to have it healthy, you can try fixing your own gummy bears from the comfort of your kitchen. Here is a simple recipe we got from Wholesome Cook. Notice that this recipe uses gelatin, for a vegan version simply replace the gelatin with 1 ½ teaspoons of agar-agar powder.

 

What sweets are your favorite ones?

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