If you've ever picked up a bag of sweets, scanned the front for the word "vegan", found nothing, and put it back — this is for you. The rules are simpler than they look, but there are three ingredients that trip almost everyone up.
The obvious one: gelatine
Gelatine is what gives a gummy sweet its chew. It's made from animal collagen, usually pork or beef, and it's in the overwhelming majority of jelly sweets — Gold Bears, jelly babies, cola bottles, wine gums, the lot.
Some labels specify the source. Haribo Bananas list pork gelatine. Vidal's Jelly Filled Strawberries list beef and pork gelatine. If a label just says "gelatine" with no source, assume it's animal-derived.
The one nobody expects: beeswax
Beeswax and carnauba wax are glazing agents — they're what stops sweets sticking together in the bag. Carnauba comes from a palm and is fine for vegans. Beeswax isn't.
This is why a sweet can be perfectly vegetarian and still not vegan. Haribo Giant Strawbs contain no gelatine at all, which makes them suitable for vegetarians — but they're glazed with beeswax, so they're out for vegans. Same story with Sour Sparks and Haribo Jelly Beans in some formats.
The red flag: carmine, or E120
Carmine is a red colouring made from insects. It appears on labels as carmine, cochineal, or E120. You'll find it in some marshmallows and in a number of red and pink sweets.
Haribo Chamallows Pink & White contain carmine. The white-only Chamallows don't — but they do contain gelatine. Vidal's Veggie Marshmallows contain neither, which is why they're one of the few genuinely vegan marshmallows on the market.
So what's actually left?
More than you'd think. The reliably vegan categories are:
- Starch-based jellies — Haribo Jelly Beans use starch and carnauba wax rather than gelatine and beeswax
- Vidal's Naturall range — built specifically as a vegan line, made with a higher fruit juice content
- Rainbow Strips Z!ng — peelable sour strips, no gelatine, carnauba glaze
- Gelatine-free marshmallows — Vidal Veggie Marshmallows use carrageenan and rice protein
We've collected them together in Vegan. There's a separate Vegetarian collection for sweets that are gelatine-free but contain beeswax.
Frequently asked questions
Are Haribo sweets vegan?
Most aren't — gelatine is the reason. A small number of lines are gelatine-free, including Jelly Beans and Giant Strawbs, but several of those are glazed with beeswax, making them vegetarian rather than vegan.
What is E120 in sweets?
Carmine, also called cochineal — a red colouring made from insects. Sweets containing it are not suitable for vegetarians or vegans, even with no gelatine present.
What's the difference between vegetarian and vegan sweets?
Vegetarian sweets contain no gelatine or carmine but may contain beeswax. Vegan sweets contain none of the three, and usually use carnauba wax instead.
Are marshmallows vegan?
Standard ones aren't — gelatine provides the structure. Gelatine-free versions use carrageenan (a seaweed extract) and plant protein instead.
A word of caution about "free-from" claims
Manufacturer marketing and manufacturer ingredient lists don't always agree. We've come across products advertised as "dairy free" whose own ingredient declaration carries a may contain traces of milk warning. If you have a genuine allergy rather than a preference, the ingredient panel on the physical pack is the only thing worth trusting — not the marketing copy, and not us.
Every product page on this site lists the full ingredients, the allergen statement and the nutrition panel exactly as the manufacturer provides them. Read it before you buy, and read the pack before you eat.