Fruit Gushers look like little candy gems, and when you bite into one you get a gush of a surprise. As fun as Fruit Gushers is many vegans and vegetarians may wonder if Fruit Gushers are vegan or vegetarian.
Fruit Gushers are technically vegan and vegetarian but, they still contain a variety of ingredients that many find questionable. You will discover ingredients that you can not determine where they are sourced from, GMOs, and sugar possibly treated and processed with bone char.
Table of Contents
Are Gushers Vegan
Snacks and candy that are chewy often contain ingredients that are animal derived and off-limits for vegans to enjoy.
Fruit Gushers on the other hand are vegan-friendly.
Are Gushers Vegetarian
Fruit Gushers are a safe treat or snack for vegetarians to enjoy when they are craving candy or something fun and sweet.
Do Gushers Contain Gelatin
Although, Fruit Gushers have a texture that would make you think that they contain gelatin in reality Fruit Gushers do not contain gelatin.
Gelatin is made from boiling down the bones of animals and gives foods like jello and gummies that distinct chewy texture while holding together liquid ingredients that would normally not form a solid.
Do Gushers Contain Pork
You may find gelatin and other ingredients hiding in some candy and snack foods but, Fruit Gushers are not one of them.
You will not find any pork in Fruit Gushers.
Do Gushers Contain Dairy
Sometimes you will find dairy products hiding in your snacks luckily, Fruit Gushers do not contain any dairy products.
Do Gushers Contain Food Coloring Red 4
Red 4 is a food coloring that is derived from bugs making it not vegan or vegetarian.
Fruit Gushers do not contain Red 4 food coloring they contain the vegan-friendly food coloring Red 40 instead.
What Ingredients Are Found In Gushers
You will find the following ingredients in Fruit Gushers.
Strawberry Splash
Sugar, Corn Syrup, Dried Corn Syrup, Pear Puree Concentrate, Modified Corn Starch, Fructose, Maltodextrin, Palm Oil. Contains 2% or less of: Cottonseed Oil, Glycerin, Grape Juice Concentrate, Carrageenan, Citric Acid, Monoglycerides, Sodium Citrate, Malic Acid, Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), Natural Flavor, Potassium Citrate, Agar-Agar, Red 40, Xanthan Gum.
Tropical Flavors
Sugar, Corn Syrup, Dried Corn Syrup, Pear Puree Concentrate, Modified Corn Starch, Fructose, Maltodextrin, Palm Oil. Contains 2% or less of: Cottonseed Oil, Glycerin, Grape Juice Concentrate, Carrageenan, Citric Acid, Monoglycerides, Sodium Citrate, Malic Acid, Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), Natural Flavor, Potassium Citrate, Agar-Agar, Xanthan Gum, Color (red 40, blue 1, yellow 5 & 6).
Do Fruit Gushers Contain Any Questionable Ingredients
As someone who is health aware and a vegetarian, I have discovered through the years that there are often questionable ingredients hiding in processed foods.
Some of the questionable ingredients found in Fruit Gushers are.
- Sugar
- Corn Syrup
- Carrageenan
- Natural Flavor
- Food Colorings
- Glycerine
- Carnauba Wax
- Palm Oil
- Modified Food Starch
Why Is Sugar A Questionable Ingredient In Fruit Gushers
Sugar is a questionable ingredient for a variety of reasons starting with the fact that most sugar comes from sugar beets which are GMO and highly sprayed with pesticides.
Vegans are leery of white sugar because it is often processed using bone char.
Why Is Corn Syrup A Questionable Ingredient In Fruit Gushers
Corn Syrup is also made from GMO corn that is highly sprayed with pesticides.
Why Is Carrageenan A Questionable Ingredient In Fruit Gushers
Carrageenan has been associated with inflammation and a variety of other negative health effects.
Why Are Natural Flavors A Questionable Ingredient In Fruit Gushers
Natural Flavors are questionable to many because it is impossible to pinpoint what exact ingredients are in your food under the umbrella term “Natural Flavorings”.
You may end up shocked when you discover that natural flavors including vanilla can come from some odd sources.
Why Are Food Colorings A Questionable Ingredient In Fruit Gushers
Beyond being sourced from questionable sources like dried bugs and petroleum food colorings have been tied to a multitude of behavioral issues, especially in children.
Why Is Glycerine A Questionable Ingredient In Fruit Gushers
Glycerine is most often sourced from plants but, not all of the time.
It is not noted whether the glycerine included in Fruit Gushers is sourced from plants.
Why Is Carnuba Wax A Questionable Ingredient In Fruit Gushers
Carnauba Wax is often scored from palm trees which is a long complicated issue.
Palm farms are having an extremely negative effect on the environment, animals, and their natural habitats.
This may be a huge enough concern for some to avoid consuming palm products entirely.
Why Is Palm Oil A Questionable Ingredient In Fruit Gushers
Palm Oil is also harvested from the same farms and conditions as carnauba wax.
Why Is Modified Food Starch A Questionable Ingredient In Fruit Gushers
Modified food starch contains enzymes that can be scored from plants but, can also come from animals.
It’s not indicated where the enzymes come from that are in the Modified Food Starch in Fruit Gushers.
Final Thoughts
Yes, I am old enough to remember when Fruit Gushers were first introduced.
They were exciting and fun to eat with friends or alone.
Fruit Gushers are technically vegan and vegetarian but, there are still some questionable ingredients that some may decide to avoid.
