Are you wondering if Twinkies are vegan-friendly?
Twinkies are an American snack cake that became famous for its delicious vanilla filling. It now includes a wide range of flavors including:
- Mixed Berry
- Cotton Candy
- Lemonade Stand
- Chocolate Cake
Its convenient size makes it an easy ”to-go” dessert. Included in the vanilla cream, is an artificial ingredient called cellulose gum, which is also used in rocket fuel. But can the Twinkies power up your vegan diet? Continue reading to find out.
Table of Contents
Are Twinkies Vegan-Friendly?
The answer is: No
No. Unfortunately, Twinkies are loaded with ingredients from animal sources. They also have ingredients that are tested on animals.
What Are Twinkies Made Of?
Twinkies are made of the following ingredients which also consists of the following nutrition facts:
Nutrition Facts
Ingredients
Sugar, Water, Enriched Flour (Bleached Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate Or Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Tallow, Dextrose, Egg, Contains 2% Or Less: Soybean Oil, Corn Starch, Modified Cornstarch, Hydrogenated Tallow, Whey, Glycerin, Salt, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda, Enzymes, Sorbic Acid And Potassium Sorbate (To Retain Freshness), Cottonseed Oil, Mono And Diglycerides, Cellulose Gum, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Soy Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, Polysorbate 60, Monocalcium Phosphate, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Yellow 5, Red 40.
CONTAINS EGG, MILK, SOY, WHEAT
Why Are Twinkies Bad For Vegans?
Twinkies contain animal by-products so they aren’t fit for vegans. The ingredients included that are from animal sources are beef fat, whole eggs, and whey. While beef fat and eggs are clear animal sources, we’ll discuss the process used to make whey.
Whey is the substance that is extracted when milk is processed. Afterwards, the fats come together to form cheese and the watery substance that remains is called whey. Since it is a by-product of milk, it is not vegan-friendly.
Twinkies also have ingredients that are not animal cruelty-free. These ingredients are Red40 and Yellow5. These are dyes that are used to give Twinkies the desired color have to be tested on animals before they can be FDA approved to be included in human food. The animals are unfortunately euthanized after testing is complete. This is because some animals develop diseases and cancers after the testing.
Palm oil is yet another substance that causes animal cruelty. It is found in many of the Twinkies flavors. Mass production of palm oil has not only cost animals their homes through deforestation, the Huffpost has shared that millions of indigenous people in Indonesia have been evicted from their land in order to allow palm plantations for the industry.
Final Thoughts
Sorry guys, Twinkies are not vegan-friendly. They have animal products included. Also, some of their other ingredients include dyes that are animal tested. They also include products that put many animals and people to lose their homes. We would have to say, maybe try another snack.
For more information, check out the official website for Twinkies: https://www.hostesscakes.com/products/twinkies/classic/