Are Skittles vegan or vegetarian friendly? Sometimes chewy candies especially carry a concern as far as what ingredients are used, and if they might not be considered vegan.
In this post, we will see if Skittles are truly vegan or not. We will look at all flavors and varieties of Skittles. We will explore what Skittles’ ingredients are if they are vegetarian, gluten-free, halal, kosher, and more.
Let’s have a look!
Table of Contents
- Are Skittles Vegan?
- Do Skittles Have Gelatin?
- Skittles Ingredients
- Are Skittles Vegan According to PETA?
- Are Skittles Vegetarian?
- Are Skittles Halal?
- Are Skittles Gluten-Free?
- Are Skittles Kosher?
- Are Skittles Vegan and Gluten-Free?
- Are Sour Skittles Vegan?
- Are Red Skittles Vegan?
- Are Pride Skittles Vegan?
- Are Purple Skittles Vegan?
- Are Wild Berry Skittles Vegan?
- Are Original Skittles Vegan?
- Are Skittles Gummies Vegan?
- Are Skittles Vegan in the UK?
- Vegan Candy
Are Skittles Vegan?
All Skittles no longer contain any animal-derived ingredients and are considered vegan. However, there may be some ingredients of concern for strict vegans in Skittles, as we’ve mentioned with other candies.
Skittles used to have gelatin in the formulation, making them non-vegan. But in 2009, the gelatin was removed from Skittles.
Skittles in the U.K. also used to have carmine, an ingredient derived from bugs and were considered non-vegan. Carmine has been removed from Skittles in the U.K. and is no longer found in Skittles.
For strict vegans, there are some ingredients of concern still found in Skittles, and really in almost all candy. We will look at those ingredients next.
Do Skittles Have Gelatin?
Skittles do not have gelatin in them anymore. Skittles previously carried gelatin. But since 2009, the gelatin was removed from the ingredients.
Skittles Ingredients
The ingredients listed for Skittles are:
SUGAR, CORN SYRUP, HYDROGENATED PALM KERNEL OIL, LESS THAN 2% OF: CITRIC ACID, TAPIOCA DEXTRIN, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, COLORS (TITANIUM DIOXIDE, RED 40 LAKE, YELLOW 5 LAKE, YELLOW 6 LAKE, BLUE 2 LAKE, BLUE 1, BLUE 1 LAKE, YELLOW 5, YELLOW 6, RED 40), SODIUM CITRATE, CARNAUBA WAX.
Ingredients of Concern for Vegans
Sugar
The first ingredient of concern is sugar. Although most sugar in the U.S. is vegan-friendly and almost all sugar in the U.K. is also vegan-friendly, there is still some sugar that exists that is not vegan friendly.
(See the full article and explanation at Is Sugar Vegan? Why Most Now Are – Except for This)
Essentially, white sugar is made from either sugarcane or sugar beets. Most sugar is made from sugar beets in the U.S. but over a third still is made from sugar cane.
Of the white sugar that is made from sugar cane, some are still processed with bone char, which are the bones of animals. This process is used to whiten the sugar.
Artificial Colors
Artificial colors can be a concern for vegans. This is because some of them, such as Red 40, are tested on animals for safety.
Although artificial colors contain no animal-derived ingredients and are plant-based, the fact that they might be tested on animals could be a concern for vegans.
Artificial Flavors
Similar to artificial colors are artificial flavors. These generally do not contain any animal-derived ingredients, but they may have been tested on animals for safety.
Are Skittles Vegan According to PETA?
PETA does list Skittles as a vegan candy in a couple of their lists. They also mention that Skittles do not use bugs to make their candy shells as some other candies do.
Are Skittles Vegetarian?
Skittles are vegetarian and do not contain any animal products. Skittles even claim on the ingredients list that they are vegetarian.
Are Skittles Halal?
Skittles do not contain any animal-derived ingredients, including gelatin. None of the ingredients listed would make them not halal.
But, Mars Wrigley, who owns Skittles, has made a claim that they do not have any products suitable for halal. They claim that their products are only suitable for vegetarians. They say to check the ingredients list to see what is suitable for your diet.
The claim may have been made to cover themselves legally, but it is hard to know for sure.
Are Skittles Gluten-Free?
Skittles are gluten-free and can be eaten on a gluten-free diet. They contain no wheat or added gluten.
Are Skittles Kosher?
Skittles are not Kosher except for a certain kind that carries the Kosher symbol made in Israel.
Around 2009, the Unorthodox Union declared that Skittles had been wrongly carrying an unauthorized UO symbol. In 2016, the KLBD announced that Skittles were not Kosher, except for some made in Israel.
You can find Kosher Skittles on Amazon here.
Are Skittles Vegan and Gluten-Free?
Skittles are both vegan and gluten-free. They contain no animal-derived products or wheat products. They can be safely eaten on a vegan diet as well as on a gluten-free diet.
Are Sour Skittles Vegan?
Like regular Skittles, Sour Skittles are vegan. They contain no ingredients that are animal-derived. Sour Skittles also do not contain any gelatin.
Just like with regular Skittles, there may be a couple of ingredients of concern for strict vegans, as mentioned above.
Sour Skittles Ingredients
Here are the ingredients found in Sour Skittles:
Sugar, Corn Syrup, Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil; Less than 2% of: Citric Acid, Tapioca Dextrin, Modified Corn Starch, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Colors (Red 40 Lake, Titanium Dioxide, Red 40, Yellow 5 Lake, Yellow 5, Yellow 6 Lake, Yellow 6, Blue 2 Lake, Blue 1, Blue 1 Lake), Sodium Citrate, Carnauba Wax. Starburst Original: Corn Syrup, Sugar, Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil, Fruit Juice from Concentrate (Apple, Lemon, Strawberry, Orange, Cherry), Less than 2%—Citric Acid, Tapioca Dextrin, Gelatin, Modified Corn Starch, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Coloring (Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1).
There are no animal-derived ingredients or gelatin found.
Are Red Skittles Vegan?
All Skittles are for the most part considered vegan, including red skittles. Red skittles no longer use carmine for coloring.
At one point, red skittles did use carmine, which is crushed insects, but they have stopped doing that for years now.
But, for strict vegans, there may still be some ingredients of concern as mentioned previously.
Are Pride Skittles Vegan?
Pride Skittles are for the most part vegan, just like regular skittles. There is no gelatin present or any animal-derived products. The only concern is the use of E153 food coloring, which may not be vegan in certain cases.
The ingredients for Pride Skittles are Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Palm Fat, Acids Citric Acid, Malic Acid, Dextrin, Maltodextrin, Flavourings, Modified Starch, Acidity Regulator Trisodium Citrate, Glazing Agent Carnauba Wax, Colour E153.
Are Purple Skittles Vegan?
Purple Skittles, like all Skittles, are now vegan. Although they previously had carmine in them as a red coloring, this was removed from the ingredients and replaced.
Are Wild Berry Skittles Vegan?
Wild Berry Skittles, like all flavors of Skittles, are now vegan. Skittles previously used carmine in them as a food coloring, but this has been removed for years now. Wild Berry Skittles do not contain gelatin, as gelatin was removed as an ingredient as well.
Are Original Skittles Vegan?
Original Skittles are vegan now. They no longer contain gelatin or carmine, but they previously did.
Are Skittles Gummies Vegan?
Skittles Gummies are not vegan. Although regular Skittles are vegan, Skittles Gummies have gelatin as one of the ingredients. Because of this, Skittles Gummies are not vegan.
Are Skittles Vegan in the UK?
Skittles are now vegan in the UK. Skittles in the UK formerly had carmine as a food coloring, but that has been removed from the ingredients for years now, making them vegan-friendly.
Vegan Candy
Check out our other articles on vegan candy to see if some of your favorite candies might be vegan as well!
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