Mentos are a multinational candy brand is known for its flavored line of gums and mints, which are among the most popular worldwide. From their colorful packaging, low prices, and their unique flavor and shape, every aspect of the candies has become iconic and influential for many generations.
With the food market evolving and focusing on incorporating healthier and more environmentally-friendly options, many people wonder whether popular candy brands such as Mentos have vegan options. So are Mentos vegan-friendly? Let’s see!
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Are Mentos Vegan?
The answer is: NO (For the most part)
Unfortunately, Mentos are not fit for a vegan diet. At least, not most Mentos products. The company does have a diverse line of candies, some of which can be considered vegan. Still, most of the mentos’ sweets include or involve animal-based products in some way or another.
Why are Mentos Bad for a Vegan Diet?
Most Mentos are not suitable for vegans. While most people consider Mentos only to be the round-shaped mints available in local stores, Mentos candies range from fruit-flavored gums to edible bonbons.
There are plenty of flavors, and many of them have ingredients that change depending on where you live.
Here are some common examples of Mentos candies and why (Or why not) they are vegan.
- Chewy Mentos (Fruit-flavored): Not vegan. The US version of this candy contains beeswax, while the UK version contains carmines. Both ingredients are non-vegan.
- Mentos Gum (Fresh-Mint and Spearmint): The fresh-mint flavor of the gum could contain gelatine, making it most likely not vegan. Yet, the spearmint flavor does not list any animal-based products as ingredients, so it can be considered vegan.
- Mentos Gum (Other flavors): Most mint-flavored Mentos appear to be labeled as vegan, while other flavors, such as chocolate and red apple, contain animal-based products such as beeswax, gelatine, and carmines.
Please note that this does not take into account whether bone char was used for sugar bleaching purposes. If you want more details of Mentos’ ingredients, we recommend reaching out to one of their customer service agents with your consumer inquiry.
Final Thoughts
Although Mentos are beloved worldwide, they are not your preferred candy option when it comes to veganism. Most Mentos are not suitable for vegans. And even those which do not directly contain animal-based ingredients could still have come into contact with bone char or other substances acquired through animal cruelty.
For more information: https://us.mentos.com