Are Lifesavers Vegan? Plus More Lifesavers FAQs Answered

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According to Wikipedia, ‘Life Savers is an American brand of ring-shaped hard and soft candy. Its range of mints and fruit-flavored candies is known for its distinctive packaging, coming in paper-wrapped aluminum foil rolls. Candy manufacturer Clarence Crane of Garrettsville, Ohio invented the brand in 1912 as a “summer candy” that could withstand heat better than chocolate. The candy’s name is due to the fact that its shape resembles that of a traditional ring-style life preserver also known as a “life saver”.’ In this article we seek to answer the question, “Are Lifesavers Vegan?” It would be ironic for a brand called “Lifesavers” to harm the lives of animals. A full vegan-friendly analysis of Lifesavers can be found in the following sections.

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Controversial Vegan Ingredients

Before we start our vegan analysis, we would like to make note of the controversial ingredients that are assumed to be vegan in this analysis. Even though we consider them to be vegan, we will still highlight these ingredients if they appear in any posted ingredient lists. These controversial ingredients include:

Sugar

In almost all candy products, one of the first few ingredients is Sugar. Sugar is a controversial product in the vegan community because refined cane sugar is processed with bone char to achieve the pure white color. The sugar itself does not contain any bone char particles, but is not vegan due to the processing methods used. Since the type of sugar is typically not stated, it is assumed to be vegan in this analysis. If you choose to avoid non-vegan sugars than all of the products in this analysis should be avoided. A full rundown on if sugar is vegan can be found in our article titled “Is Your Sugar Vegan? Lets Find Out!“

Palm Oil and Palm Fat

Palm oil is a controversial vegan ingredient not because it is animal-derived, but because the cultivation of palm oil has devastating environmental impacts and harms many animals. You can learn more about palm oil in our article titled “Is Palm Oil Vegan?“

Natural and Artificial Flavorings

Natural flavors can come from both animal or plant sources, but the natural flavors in candies are typically from plant sources. Those natural flavors from animal-origin will be highlighted if known.

Colors

Some food colors are controversial in the vegan community. This is because food colors are often tested on animals. In this article we assume all food colors are vegan, unless the color itself is from an animal or insect origin (e.g. Carmine).

Lifesavers Mints

Lifesavers Mints Ingredients

Wint O Green, Spear O Mint, Pep O Mint: Sugar, Corn Syrup, Artificial Flavor, Stearic Acid. [Source]

Sugar Free Wint O Green and Pep O Mint: Sorbitol, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Magnesium Stearate, Aspartame (Sweetener). [Source]

Orange: Sugar, Corn Syrup, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Critic Acid, Magnesium Stearate, Aspartame, Color (Yellow 6). [Source]

Cherry Lemonade: Sugar, Corn Syrup, Corn Maltodextrin, Magnesium Stearate, Citric Acid, Malic Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Aspartame, Maltitol, Colors (Red 40 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake), Soy Lecithin [Source]

Strawberry Apple: Sugar, Corn Syrup, Corn Maltodextrin, Magnesium Stearate, Malic Acid, Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Maltitol, Colors (Red 40 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, Blue 1 Lake), Soy Lecithin. [Source]

Are Lifesavers Mints Vegan?

Lifesavers Mints are in the vegan grey area. This is because they contain stearic acid. According to the Vegetarian Resource Group’s Guide To Food Ingredients, Stearic Acid is commercially derived from vegetable, animal (cow- or hog-derived), or synthetic sources. Therefore, it may not be vegan-friendly. That being said, many manufactures have moved to using only plant-based sources for their Stearic Acid. For the time being we consider Lifesavers Mints to be vegan-friendly, but will verify the source of the Stearic Acid with the Lifesavers brand directly. Lifesavers mints are available at all major grocery stores as well as online through Amazon.

Lifesavers Hard Candies

Lifesavers Hard Candies Ingredients

5 Flavors: Sugar, Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Colors (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1). [Source]

Sugar Free 5 Flavors: Isomalt, Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Sucralose, Colors (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1). [Source]

Butter Rum: Sugar, Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Molasses, Salt, Dextrose, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Palm Kernel And Cottonseed Oils), Vinegar, Caramel Color. [Source]

Wild Cherry: Sugar, Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Colors (Red 40, Blue 1). [Source]

Sugar Free Wild Cherry: Isomalt, Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Sucralose, Colors (Red 40, Blue 1). [Source]

Hawaiian Fruits: Sugar, Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Dextrose, Colors (Titanium Dioxide, Red 40, Yellow 5). [Source]

Fruiteria: Sugar, Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Citric Acid, Malic Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Colors (Titanium Dioxide, Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1). [Source]

Are Lifesavers Hard Candies Vegan?

Based on the ingredients above, all of the Lifesavers Hard Candies flavors are vegan! The only ingredients that may be of concern for vegans are those listed in the controversial ingredients section above. Lifesaver hard candies are available for purchase through Amazon or any local supermarket.

Lifesavers Gummies

Lifesavers Gummies Ingredients

5 Flavors: Corn Syrup, Sugar, Water, Modified Corn Starch, Gelatin; Less Than 2% of: Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Mineral Oil, Colors (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1), Carnauba Wax. [Source]

Collisions: Corn Syrup, Sugar, Water, Gelatin, Modified Corn Starch, Less Than 2% Or Less Of: Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Mineral Oil, Colors (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1), Carnauba Wax. [Source]

Mix O Reds Sours: Corn Syrup, Sugar, Water, Gelatin, Modified Potato Starch, Fumaric Acid, Corn Starch; Less Than 2% of: Lactic Acid, Citric Acid, Natural And Artificial Flavors, Colors (Red 40, Blue 1). [Source]

Assorted Sours: Corn Syrup, Sugar, Water, Modified Corn Starch, Gelatin, Fumaric Acid, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid, Natural And Artificial Flavors, Colors (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1). [Source]

Wild Berries: Corn Syrup, Sugar, Water, Modified Corn Starch, Gelatin, Less Than 2% Of: Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Mineral Oil, Colors (Red 40, Blue 1, Yellow 5), Carnauba Wax. [Source]

Coolers (Fruit Drink Flavors): Corn Syrup, Sugar, Water, Gelatin, Modified Corn Starch; less than 2% of: Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Mineral Oil, Colors (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1), Carnauba Wax. [Source]

Are Lifesavers Gummies Vegan?

Unfortunately, none of the Lifesavers Gummies flavors are vegan. All of the varieties contain Gelatin which “is a protein procured by boiling animal skin, tendons, cartilage, ligaments, and/or bones in water. It’s usually obtained from cows, pigs, or fish” according to Peta As Gelatin is a animal-derived ingredient, it is usually not considered to be vegan or vegetarian.

Additional Lifesavers FAQs

Are Lifesavers Gluten Free?

Based on the ingredients in all the Lifesavers varieties above, none of them contain wheat, flour, or any other gluten-containing ingredients. However, very little information is available online about the manufacturing, processing, or gluten-free certification of Lifesavers. Therefore it is possible that some cross contamination could occur during the production of them, but all of the ingredients in Lifesavers products are gluten-free. Additionally, the Spangler Candy Company lists the Lifesavers Mints as gluten-free.

Are Lifesavers Gummies Gluten Free?

Based on the ingredients in all the Lifesavers Gummies flavors above, none of them contain wheat, flour, or any other gluten-containing ingredients. However, very little information is available online about the manufacturing, processing, or gluten-free certification of Lifesavers Gummies. Therefore it is possible that some cross contamination could occur during the production of them, but all of the ingredients in Lifesavers Gummies flavors are gluten-free.

Are Lifesavers Kosher?

Very little information is available online or on product packaging as to if Lifesavers are certified Kosher. The only information we could find is that the Spangler Candy Company states that the Lifesavers Mints are “not Kosher certified.” Therefore, Lifesavers are likely NOT Kosher.

Are Lifesavers Dairy Free?

All Lifesavers products are dairy-free. This is according the ingredient lists we have provided for the Lifesavers products in the previous sections of this article. However, cross contamination could occur during production so it might be best abstain from Lifesavers if you are extremely sensitive to dairy.

Are Lifesavers Peanut Free?

All Lifesavers products are tree nut and peanut free. This is according the ingredient lists we have provided for the Lifesavers products in the previous sections of this article. However, cross contamination could occur during production so it might be best abstain from Lifesavers if you are extremely sensitive to nuts.

Summary

Based on this analysis, many of the Lifesavers products (all Mints and Hard Candies) are vegan-friendly. However, none of the Lifesavers Gummies are vegan as they contain Gelatin.

If you liked this article, you can read about other vegan snack options here.