Interest in the vegan diet has increased significantly over the last few years(in some countries that are more developed this may last for longer, but still the interest is progressing), mainly due to concerns about health, animals and the environment.

This is such a motive for all those who are interested in starting something new in their lives; they can make a difference, regarding their health, and the world also.

And we think that this is such a good thing, at least to have as many options as possible, and all of us if we want, could try this type of diet.

Vegans, therefore, do not eat meat, fish or anything derived from animals – for example, eggs or dairy. But, not eating these products by themselves is not so hard to avoid, but it truly is when it comes to the store-bought products that you can never be sure how they were made, and what happened in the process of production.

But how difficult is it to function and does it leads to a healthier life? One of the tricky things is to ban many products that sound like they have nothing to do with animals, and of course, there is a question of security that the brand is fair and that it would not falsely inform you about the ingredients.

The same case is when you want to eat something that is sweet (just because you have decided to become vegan, does not mean that you will not eat any candy, on the contrary, but you have to choose wisely that that product does not have any part that comes from animal source).

Candies are in particular hard to eat when you are vegan because even if on the label there are no words that this product is connected with animal source, in fact, it can still be connected with it, during the process of production. This is a constant issue, and all of us should be aware and look at the ingredients, but have trust in the manufacturer.

One of the most favorite candies in the market is Jolly Ranchers that have been present for almost a century, and those who are vegans are wondering is this hard candy vegan?

We are here to make this answer more clear to you, but as we always say, the choice is yours.

Jolly Ranchers – Hard Candy with the southern name

This is one candy that is present on the market for almost 70 years (since 1949 to be precise, the founders of this candy were Bill and Dorothy Harmsen. They focus their sales on children that lived nearby), and still, they have remained to be very popular, especially among kids, and during Holidays, like Halloween. The company always produces special edition candy when some big holidays are celebrating, like Christmas or the New Year.

They are one of a kind candy that comes with many flavors, and they have that interesting and well-known crunch to them that is meeting after they come close to your tongue. This is why so many of us love them, and even those who start their vegan diet have cravings for them.

Some of the most famous flavors are Cherry, Fruity Bash, Cinnamon Fire, Awesome Reds, Fruit ‘n Sour, Sugar-Free, Blue Raspberry, Watermelon and Lemon. The fan-favorite taste of Jolly ranchers has always been the Blue Raspberry but is also cherry and Fruit ‘n Sour.

During years, as the times were changing this candy stayed relatively the same, but also it has introduced so many other flavors and expanded their form.

This is a brand that makes sour and of course, sweet candy (the most notable and the oldest kind), and besides the hard candy that is the most popular, the production company also makes lollipops, fruit chews, gummies etc. The list is too long, and you can truly enjoy the whole variety of candies that come from the Jolly Rancher brand.

They have expanded their line of work; they have produced the soda drink with the same name that is very interesting, and it is marketed as fun and colorful soda that is in its core. There are multiple flavors of this soda that is also very popular among teenagers.

The Jolly Ranchers are the firm, or maybe the truest form to explain is that they are firm and fragile at the same time (they can be melted, and online you can find numerous experiments with Jolly Ranchers) and almost transparent sweets that resemble glass (and the similar feeling is in your mouth when you eat them).

As of some time, this candy is owned by the Hershey Company, one of the most well-known confectioner’s companies in the world, most famous for its chocolate. They are constantly expanding their brand.

Their name Jolly Ranchers is in this sense very interested, chosen in the 1950s to sound like a southern domestic home in the USA, and it has not been changed ever, even when the brand expanded.

Ingredients

Now, if we want to look for the ingredients and to look for their origin, we can say that like much other candy, this one is also made out of the sugar and corn syrup. This is a staple in any candy production, is what the candy is and it will always be, but also the problem in the health area, since white sugar and corn syrup are not the healthiest choice and should not be eaten too much, too often.

Also, on the label, we can see that there are also present natural flavor and artificial flavor, as well as artificial color. This is the catch for vegans since no one has an obligation to tell you what is that that is natural flavor and natural color, and usually it comes from the animal source, it does not have to be, but it usually does.

One of the ingredients is Malic acid -for those who do not know what it is, it is the two-base organic acid. It has no color and is a hygroscopic substance, which dissolves well in water and ethanol.

At 100 degrees, it melts very easily, so it is no surprise why it is used so abundantly in the candy production, especially in these kinds, hard candy, just like Jolly Ranchers. Malic acid belongs to the group of fruit acids because it is frequently found in fruits. In the case of Jolly Ranchers, it is used to add some sourness to them, and it gives foods a slightly acidic taste.

In the end, we must mention two more ingredients one is Mineral oil that is derived from petroleum.

And there is also lecithin that we have mentioned so many times.

When you look at the just ingredients, there are not obvious animal sources.

Are Jolly Ranchers Vegan?

Many think that they are a vegan candy, and when you look deeper into their products and ingredients you will clearly see that they are not vegan, but as we like to say all depends on the strictness of your vegan diet.

Why is this case? Well, because they have a few components that can be obtained from an animal source. What in particular? It is the lecithin that comes from planet sources just like corn, or sunflower, but they can also come from fish or eggs, so in this case, they cannot be vegan.

But, the manufacturer has said that their lecithin has come from soy, so it is vegan.

Jolly Ranchers do not have gelatin – one of the most used elements in the candy production that comes from the animal source.

Also, another problematic aspect of this candy is their flavor, that is, as stated on the packaging natural. But no one has said what that flavor is and where it comes from – so it can come out of the animal source.

The producers of this candy are not obligated to tell you from which source this flavor comes, so no one could guarantee you this one hundred per cent is vegan.

But we must say that they use some natural colors just like Red 40 and Sunset Yellow. If we follow this lead, we can say that Jolly Ranchers are vegan, because their color is not animal-derived.

Are Jolly Ranchers Healthy?

Although many parents question candies, and among them of course, there are Jolly Ranchers, for sugar, candies are one of their favorite children’s delights, and because of their softness or harness whatever you prefer most and creative shape and color, they are used by both the youngest and their sweet tastes, even by adults that cannot resist.

There is a large selection of candies on the market that entice children and their parents off the shelf in the markets, and it is very difficult to resist colorful packaging, be consistent in their decision and avoid buying unverified and undeclared sweets.

It often happens that the information on the packaging does not coincide with the information contained in the product or that particular advantage is unnecessarily emphasized only for the purpose of higher sales (and if this is a known fact in general, then it is also questionable how they can be vegan and do not have anything derived from an animal for sure).

Many manufacturers or importers circumvent certain statutory rules for negative publicity, but we must be honest and say that you can find that the manufacturer of Jolly Rancher has never stated that they are vegan 100 per cent, and it is ok.

This candy is not so bad for your health, and there is a serving size of 3 bits at 70 calories, as you can find on the information board.

Now, we have mentioned before malic acid that is used in the production of this candy, and we must inform you that is utilized in the food industry under the code E296. It is permitted to be combined with foods as it is considered completely safe for eating. When you add malic acid to foods helps maintain certain pH levels in their composition.

So, from a health point of view, this is not an element that is unhealthy.

In the end, maybe the most problematic part here that we see is the existence of the Mineral oils that are found in Jolly Ranchers.

One study has shown that on the market there are candy products that show the existence of saturated mineral oils, which, as warned, can precipitate in the human body and cause organ degeneration, with kids at particular risk.

Summary

So, is this candy vegan? Well, we can say that Jolly Ranchers hold elements that can be obtained from either plant or from the animal source.

You can never be sure, so it is advisable that if you are leading the strict vegan diet, you should stay away and choose for another hard candy that is vegan for sure.

Also, on the market, you can truly find a variety of hard candy with the fruit flavor.

Recent research, which has used the results of 10 previous studies – in which scientists compared the health of vegetarians, vegans and meat-eaters, showed that they are indeed healthier and that they live longer.

Scientists have concluded that vegans and vegetarians have significantly lower rates of heart disease and cancer, although there is no difference in overall mortality.

In other words, being a vegetarian or a vegan is generally associated with a healthy life, but that does not mean living longer.

Of course, we must say in the end, that is not just the question of choosing to be a vegan, it is much more, we believe that is also very important to make responsible choices when you choose what will you eat, even if it is a candy.

All in all, the manufacturers of Jolly ranchers, and you can find it online for yourself, has never stated that they are vegan and that they do not guarantee it, so there cannot be any misconception.