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Are Jelly Babies vegan?
Jelly Babies are coloured with plant extracts and flavoured with fruit juice, so they come close. But one ingredient stops them being vegan. Here is which, and what to check on any jelly sweet.
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Classic Jelly Babies are not vegan. They come close, with fruit juice for flavour and colours from plants, but they are made with gelatine, and gelatine comes from animals.
The ingredients
A published ingredients list for a 400 g carton of Bassett's Jelly Babies names sugar, glucose syrup, water, gelatine, concentrated fruit juices, citric acid, flavourings and colours. The colours listed are all from plant or natural sources: anthocyanins, paprika extract, vegetable carbon, lutein and curcumin. Recipes can change, so check the pack you buy.
Take out the gelatine and there would be nothing obviously animal left. But the gelatine is what gives a Jelly Baby its chew, and it is made from collagen taken from the skin, bones and connective tissue of animals, mostly pigs and cattle: see what is gelatine made from?
Other things vegans check for
Gelatine is not the only animal ingredient that can turn up in sweets. Vegans also avoid several common additives made by or from insects:
- Beeswax, E901, used as a shiny glaze: see what is beeswax on sweets?
- Shellac, E904, a glaze made from a resin secreted by the lac bug: see what is shellac on sweets?
- Carmine, also called cochineal or E120, a red colour made from insects: see what is carmine?
Milk ingredients such as lactose are not vegan either.
What a vegan label means
In the UK there is no legal definition of vegan food, but food must be labelled accurately and not mislead. The government's guidance is that a vegan label means no ingredients of animal origin were intentionally used in making the product. Guidance drawn up by the Food Standards Agency in 2006, with the Vegan Society, said vegan should not be used for foods made from or with the aid of animals or animal products, including products from living animals, which is why beeswax and honey rule a food out.
A vegan label is not an allergy guarantee. The government's guidance also warns that a vegan product can contain traces of animal ingredients through cross contamination, so people with allergies to milk or eggs, for example, should check the allergen information too.
Vegan jelly sweets
Chewy sweets can be made vegan by using plant based gelling agents such as pectin, starch or agar instead of gelatine, with a plant based glaze such as carnauba wax. Look for a clear vegan label: see what sweets are vegan in the UK?
We sell Jelly Babies, and also vegan gummy bears and vegan fizzy cola bottles, in our pick and mix.
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Questions and answers
Why are Jelly Babies not vegan?
Because they contain gelatine, which is made from collagen taken from animal skin, bones and connective tissue. Anything made with gelatine is not suitable for vegans.
What else makes sweets not vegan?
Besides gelatine, look out for beeswax, shellac and carmine, also called cochineal or E120. These come from insects and are common additives that vegans avoid. Milk ingredients, such as lactose, are also not vegan.
Does a vegan label mean it is safe for a milk allergy?
No. The government's guidance is that a vegan label means no ingredients of animal origin were intentionally used, but traces could still get in through cross contamination. If you have an allergy, check the allergen information and any may contain warnings.
Sources
- Jelly Babies, Wikipedia
- Bassetts Jelly Babies 400g ingredients, Chomp
- Vegan food labelling, GOV.UK
- Veganism, Wikipedia
- Gelatin, Wikipedia
- New labelling guidance taps growing vegetarian demand, FoodNavigator
Keep reading
- Questions people askAre Jelly Babies vegetarian?Classic Bassett's Jelly Babies are not vegetarian, because they contain gelatine, which comes from slaughtered animals. How to find vegetarian jelly sweets.
- Questions people askWhat sweets are vegan in the UK?Fruit Pastilles, Fruit Gums, Jelly Tots and Percy Pigs are all now vegan. What to check on the label, and why recipes keep changing.
- Questions people askWhat is gelatine made from?Gelatine is made from collagen from animal skin, bones and connective tissue, mostly pigs and cattle. Why it matters for vegetarians, Muslims and Jews.
- Questions people askWhat is carmine?Carmine, E120, is a deep red colour made from cochineal insects that live on cactus. It colours sweets, drinks and lipstick. Why vegans avoid it.
- Questions people askWhat is beeswax on sweets?Beeswax, E901, is the wax honey bees build their comb with. A thin coat gives sweets a shine and keeps moisture in. It is not vegan and cannot be digested.
- Questions people askWhat is shellac on sweets?Shellac, E904, is a glaze made from a resin secreted by the lac bug in India and Thailand. It gives sweets a hard shine, and vegans avoid it. Here is why.