Is Salt Water Taffy Vegan? | Is Salt Water Taffy Dairy Free?

Salt Water Taffy—you can’t beat the nostalgia.

The salty, sweet taste of taffy brings you back to your childhood with a rush of memories. Maybe it’s the taste of summer, or perhaps it’s the smell of the ocean air on your skin—but either way, taffy is guaranteed to transport you back to a time when you were young and carefree.

As adults, we still have a soft spot for Salt Water Taffy because there’s something so simple and pure about the checkerboard-patterned candy. It’s not complicated, but something so refreshing about biting into a piece of candy reminds us of simpler times when life was good.

It’s hard to believe that salt water taffy is over 100 years old, but we’re sure you’ll agree that it’s just as delicious today as it was back then.

How Did Salt Water Taffy Originate?

Salt Water Taffy, the most famous version of taffy, was first created in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in the late 1800s. According to this legend, one fateful day, his sweet shop was flooded by stormy seas.

David Bradley, the Bradley’s Sweet Shop owner, was devastated by the flood. The waves destroyed his whole store, The whole supply of his taffy was doused with seawater from the ocean, so he started calling it “salt water taffy” as a joke. But the name stuck somehow and became one of the most popular versions of taffy ever made!

This version of taffy doesn’t contain saltwater—i.e., as in seawater or ocean water, though it does contain both water and salt. It is often served as a souvenir from Atlantic City’s famous boardwalk area at fairs and festivals.
Nowadays, you can find salt water taffy at any number of shops on the Jersey Shore—and it’s delicious!

Questionable Salt Water Taffy Ingredients

1. Sugar

Saltwater taffy is a mouthwatering treat that tastes like heaven—and it’s also incredibly delicious. The problem is that salt water taffy is often made with sugar. Sugar is controversial because some companies use bone char to create sugar.
Bone char is made by burning animal bones at high temperatures, which means it’s an animal product.

Even though bone char is used to refine sugar, some companies use it to refine the sugar before it gets into our hands. This means that the end product of this ingredient can be potentially contaminated by bone char. Not only salt water taffy but many candies like sour punch straws, cotton candy, skittles, dum dums contain sugar in them making it unsafe for vegans to consume.

2. Palm oil

Salt Water Taffy Ingredients contain palm oil, one of the most controversial ingredients in the world of vegan food. Palm oil production has resulted in the destruction of numerous animal habitats and the extinction of several species.

In fact, since its discovery back in the 16th century, palm oil has been used as an industrial lubricant, which led to the disappearance of orangutans and Sumatran tigers from their natural habitats.

While many strict vegans avoid purchasing anything that is linked with animal cruelty, others don’t mind using products that contain palm oil because it is not an animal product.

However, other vegans are still concerned about this ingredient because they are aware that they are supporting a company that causes animal suffering and environmentally harmful practices by consuming palm oil.

3. Gelatin And Egg

Salt Water Taffy Ingredients contain Gelatin And Egg, which are not vegan. Gelatin is an animal-derived product that is derived from egg whites. Egg whites are often used as a binding agent for other ingredients, particularly chocolates and candies containing less fat.

If the candy has gelatin or egg white in it, it’s usually not vegan. If a brand uses gelatin to make their gummy candy, they might use egg whites to help achieve the chewy texture of their product.

4. Milk

Salt Water Taffy is a treat that’s hard to resist. It’s low in fat, high in sodium, and full of sugar. But what about the ingredients?

Milk is one of the common ingredients in salt water taffy, which can be a problem for vegans. It is indeed delicious, but it may not be suitable for vegans due to its use of milk. Milk is a dairy product, meaning vegans do not eat or use it. So if you’re wondering whether salt water taffy is okay for you to eat, the answer is no.

5. Butter

Salt Water Taffy is a candy bar made with butter. Butter is an animal byproduct used as a food additive to produce Salt Water Taffy. It is a dairy product made from the fat of cows or other animals.

It is not vegan. When you eat butter, you’re eating the fat taken from these animals and processed into a tasty treat for humans. This isn’t just about taste—it’s about animal cruelty.

Butter is produced by forcing an animal to give up its milk for human consumption. This means that there are no limits to how many animals can be used to produce the amount of butter we need every day. Every time you eat a bag of Salt Water Taffy, you are consuming animal byproducts.

Vegan Alternatives To Salt Water Taffy

1. Mamba Fruit Chews

Mamba Fruit Chews are great for on-the-go snacking or enjoying during any other time of the day—they’re perfect for when you want something sweet that won’t weigh you down!

2. Angel’s Tropical Salt Water Taffy

3. YumEarth Organic Chewys

Final Thoughts

Salt Water Taffy is a candy that has been around for decades, but it’s only recently that people have begun to pay attention to its ingredients. But with all the ingredient research and their source, we can say that it is not vegan.

Most Salt Water Taffy flavors are unsuitable for vegans because they contain dairy and animal products. Salt Water Taffy may not be vegan, But vegans have many other candy options to choose from such as sour patch kids,airheads,lifesavers, these candies are vegan friendly and safe to consume.