Are Airheads Vegan?
Airheads a tangy, taffy-like, chewy candy manufactured by Dutch-Italian company have been a favorite among kids and adults since its inception in 1986. Airheads are available all across the United States and have a whole variety of flavors available.
If you love these chewy candies but you have turned vegan so, you do not know whether you can still enjoy them or not, right? We have analyzed my such candies like Sour Patch Kids, Starburst, Twizzlers and many more for their vegan status. In this article, we look into the question, “Are Airheads Vegan?”
What are Airheads?
Airheads are a very popular candy across the states and there are quite a few variations available for the same. To mention a few Airheads Bars, Airheads Bites, Airheads Soft Filled Bites, Airheads Gummies, Airheads Gum, Airheads Xtremes, Airheads Xtremes Biters & Airheads Xtremes Sourfuls. They are very chewy and juicy which makes them uniquely delightful.
Are Airheads Vegan?
While some flavors of Airheads are typically considered vegan-friendly. However, their are certain Airheads flavors contain additional ingredients, such as gelatin or beeswax, which may not adhere to a vegan lifestyle.
Airheads Candy Ingredients
Airheads ingredients are the major topic of discussion for the people who eat according to the ingredient and calorie count. For the people who are allergic to certain fruity flavors or are strict vegans checking the ingredients is a must. Here is a list of some of the ingredients:
1. Original Airheads
Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, , Maltodextrin, Dextrose, Modified Food Starch (Corn), Corn Syrup, Sugar and Artificial Flavors (which might be debatable ingredient for some vegans), Contains less than 2% of Citric Acid, Water, Artificial Colors, Red 40 (understand Red 40’s vegan status with us), Blue 1, Yellow 6, Yellow 5.
2. Minibars
Corn Syrup, Modified Food Starch (Corn), Maltodextrin, Dextrose, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Contains less than 2% of Citric Acid, Sugar and Artificial Flavors (debatable ingredient for some vegans), Water, Artificial Colors, Red 40, Blue 1, Yellow 6, Yellow 5.
3. Big bars
Dextrose, Corn Syrup, Maltodextrin, Modified Food Starch (Corn), Sugar and Artificial Flavors (debatable ingredient for some vegans), Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Contains less than 2% of Citric Acid, Water, Artificial Colors, Red 40, Blue 1, Yellow 6, Yellow 5.
4. Xtremes
Sugar and Artificial Flavors (debatable ingredient for some vegans),Wheat Flour, Corn Syrup, Corn Starch, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Modified Potato Starch, Malic Acid, Citric Acid, Contains less than 2% of Glycerine, Potassium Citrate, Salt, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Artificial Color, Blue 1, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6.
5. Xtremes Peg Bag
Sugar and Artificial Flavors (debatable ingredient for some vegans), Corn Syrup, Wheat Flour, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Starch, Modified Potato Starch, Water, Malic Acid, Citric Acid, Contains less than 2% of Glycerin, Potassium Citrate, Salt, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Artificial Color, Blue 1, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow
Are Airheads Gluten Free?
Along with some other flavors, Some Airheads flavors are gluten-free while the other Airheads flavors do contain gluten in it. Except for the flavors that contain wheat as an ingredient above, all the other flavors are gluten-free along with being vegan.
Are Airhead Bites Gluten-Free? – Airheads Bites contain animal-based ingredients like gelatin, beeswax, and shellac which are non-vegan ingredients which are present in some other flavors of Airheads too. Beeswax is easy to understand, however, shellac is made from the secretions of female lac bugs found in India and Thailand. The last one is an insect-derived ingredient. So we cannot say this to be vegan-friendly.
Do Airheads Have Pork? – Airheads Bites have pork in it as it contains gelatine. It is important to know that gelatin comes from pork. Mostly, all the gelatin forms come from pork skin and cattle bones. They can also come from split cattle hides. It can also be made from various fish by-products. The products which have gelatin in some way have pork like some flavors of Doritos contain pork.
Vegan Airheads Product List
For all the people who follow a strict vegan diet and cheat on their strict meal plans with some airheads, it is important to know which product is vegan and which is not vegan.
| Product | |
|---|---|
| 1. Original Airheads | Buy Now |
| 2. Airheads Candy Mini Bars | Buy Now |
| 3. Airheads White Mystery | Buy Now |
| 4. Airheads Xtremes | Buy Now |
| 5. Airheads Xtremes Bites Rainbow Berry Peg Bag | Buy Now |
Non–vegan Airheads Product List
- Airheads Bites
- Airheads Xtremes Sourfuls
- Airheads Gum (other than white mystery)
- Airheads Gummies
- Airheads Soft-Filled Bites
The above mentioned all products are non-vegan since they contain gelatin as their core ingredient.
Is Malic Acid Vegan? – There are some Airheads flavors that contain malic acid. So, are they vegan? Malic acid is highly vegan. It is found in apples, pears, and berries and can also be produced synthetically. Well, animals do produce malic acid in their bodies. However, the malic acid used for human consumption is not sourced from animals.
Conclusion
For the people who love to have airheads and are vegan, you must check the ingredients properly and only then binge eat the airheads. Anything that contains gelatin automatically becomes non-vegan and is not suitable for the people who prefer vegan products.
Alternatives of the non-vegan products can also be found with a research. Knowing about the gelatin content is also an important step towards a vegan life. Choose wisely after studying the product mix used for the production of the candy!
