Are you wondering if Newtons are vegan-friendly?
The snack you once knew and loved as Fig Newtons is still the same fruit-paste-filled snacks! The original fig filling is still the same as well as their fruity versions such as apple, cinnamon, mixed berry, and raspberry. The cookies are quite the convenient size to pack along with a lunch or for a late-night munch. But is it convenient for a vegan-friendly diet? Continue reading to find out.
Table of Contents
Are Newtons Vegan?
The answer is: Yes
Newtons have no listed animal-sourced ingredients. Strict vegans need to be cautious of the natural flavor ingredient. They do however have Palm Oil as an ingredient which is vegan but tends not to be animal-cruelty-free.
What Are Newtons Snack Made Of?
The ingredients are: Figs, Whole Grain Wheat Flour, Sugar, Unbleached Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate \{Vitamin B1\}, Riboflavin \{Vitamin B2\}, Folic Acid), Corn Syrup, Invert Sugar, Canola Oil, Palm Oil, Salt, Baking Soda, Calcium Lactate, Malic Acid, Soy Lecithin, Sodium Benzoate And Sulfur Dioxide (Sulfites) Added To Preserve Freshness, Artificial Flavor.\par } Natural and Artificial Flavor, Contains Wheat, Soy.
Why Are Newtons Vegan-Friendly?
Natural Flavor can either be made from animal or plant-sourced ingredients. Mondelez International, the parent company of the brand, has not revealed which of the sources they use. Strict vegans will often choose to avoid products containing natural flavor.
Although Palm Oil is vegan-friendly in the sense that it has no animal products, the mass production of palm has affected many animals that dwell in tropical areas. These areas are deforested to make way for large palm plants. This destroys the natural habitats of animals such as Orangutans. If you’re a vegan who is concerned about the welfare of animals, then it is best to avoid food that is made with this ingredient.
Mondelez International is however a part of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. Companies that join this organization make commitments to harvest palm oil sustainably. They also commit to purchase from suppliers that have sustainable harvesting practices. This includes refraining from deforestation practices and ensuring animals in the harvesting areas are not endangered. If this is enough of an assurance to ease your animal safety concerns, then Newtons may be okay for you to eat.
Artificial Flavors are also vegan-friendly because of their non-animal content. They are not tested on animals as often as artificial colors. But every new artificial flavor that enters the market has to go through an initial testing on animals.
Final Thoughts
Newtons are safe for vegans to eat as long as your only concern is whether there are known animal ingredients inside the product. Natural Flavors are however present in the snack which can either be from animals or plants. Rest assured though that the company has at least moved towards protecting the environment and animals through sustainable sourcing.
For more information head over to: https://www.snackworks.com/brands/newtons?Brand=NEWTONS