# Are wine gums vegan?

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## Summary

Traditional wine gums are not vegan or vegetarian, because they are usually made with gelatine from animals. What else to check for, and how to find vegan gums.

## Description

Wine gums contain no wine, but that does not make them suitable for everyone. The main reason traditional wine gums are not vegan is gelatine.
Why gelatine rules them out
Wine gums get their firm, chewy texture from a gelling agent, and traditionally that is gelatine. Gelatine is made from collagen taken from the skin, bones and connective tissue of animals, mostly pigs and cattle, and sometimes fish. Because it is an animal product, sweets made with gelatine are not vegan, and they are not vegetarian either: see what is gelatine made from?
Each brand of wine gum has its own recipe, so the only way to be sure is to read the ingredients. If gelatine is listed, the sweets are not vegan.
Other ingredients to watch
Gelatine is not the only animal product that can turn up in sweets. Some sweets are given a shine with beeswax, and some with shellac, a glaze made from a resin secreted by the lac insect. Some red and pink sweets are coloured with carmine, a dye made from insects. Vegans usually avoid all of these. Carnauba wax, which comes from the leaves of a Brazilian palm, is a plant based glazing agent and is often used instead: see what is beeswax on sweets? and what is carmine?
Vegan gums
Chewy sweets can be made without gelatine, using plant based gelling agents such as pectin, which comes from fruit, starch, or agar, which comes from seaweed. Sweets made this way can be vegan, as long as the rest of the ingredients are too. Look for a clear vegan label on the pack.
Wine gums and halal diets
Gelatine also matters for Muslims and Jews, because it may come from pigs: see are wine gums halal?
In our pick and mix we sell vegan gummy bears and vegan fizzy cola bottles. For a wider guide, see what sweets are vegan in the UK?

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