According to Wikipedia, Mentos is a brand of prepackaged scotch mints sold in stores and vending machines. They were first produced in the Netherlands in 1948, but are now sold in more than 130 countries. Over the years there has been some discussion and confusion as to which Mentos are vegan-friendly, so in this article we look into the question “Are Mentos Vegan?” and evaluate all Mentos products. Since the ingredients and flavors can vary by country, this analysis covers the varieties sold in the United States and United Kingdom markets. However, the ingredients appear to be similar across the board.
Of note, Mentos products typically include “sugar” and “natural flavorings” in their ingredient lists. Sugar is often processed with bone meal and some vegans consider this to be a not vegan friendly product. Additionally, natural flavors can come from both animal or plant sources but based on the flavors labeled on the packaging it expected that these flavorings come from plant sources. If you choose to avoid products containing non-vegan sugar, all of Mentos products should be avoided. Natural flavors are assumed to be vegan for the remainder of this article.
A full vegan-friendly analysis of each Mentos variety can be found in the following sections.
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Chewy Mentos Fruit
Sugar, Wheat Glucose Syrup, Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Citric Acid, Fruit Juices from Concentrate (Strawberry, Orange, Lemon) (1%), Rice Starch, Gum Arabic, Natural Flavors, Sucrose Esters Of Fatty Acids, Gellan Gum, Carnauba Wax, Colors (Beta-Carotene, Beetroot Red), Beeswax.
Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Fruit Juices From Concentrate (Strawberry, Orange, Lemon) (2%), Coconut Oil, Acid (Citric Acid), Starch, Cocoa Butter, Flavourings, Maltodextrin, Thickeners (Gellan Gum, Cellulose Gum, Gum Arabic), Emulsifier (Sucrose Esters Of Fatty Acids), Glazing Agent (Carnauba Wax), Colours (Beta-Carotene, Carmines, Beetroot Red).
Extra Information
- Suitable for Vegetarians: No
- Suitable for Vegans: No – contains Beeswax
- Suitable for Halal/Kosher: Not certified
- Gluten free: Yes, means <20mg/kg gluten
- Emulsifier: Vegetable Origin
- Suitable for Nut Allergy Sufferers: Yes
Are Mentos Fruit Vegan?
There are two main ingredients of concern from the US and UK Mentos Fruit ingredient lists. The first of these is Beeswax in the US ingredients. Similar to honey, many vegan choose to avoid it as it animal-derived product. The second is Carmines which is found in the UK ingredients list. Carmines is actually a red food coloring extracted from a special insect species. You can learn more about carmine here.
Since both of these ingredients are not vegan-friendly, the fruit flavor of Mentos is NOT vegan.
Chewy Mentos Mint
Sugar, Wheat Glucose Syrup, Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Rice Starch, Natural Flavors, Gum Arabic, Sucrose Esters Of Fatty Acids, Gellan Gum, Carnauba Wax, Beeswax.
Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Coconut Oil, Starch, Cocoa Butter, Flavourings, Maltodextrin, Thickeners (Gellan Gum, Cellulose Gum, Gum Arabic), Emulsifier (Sucrose Esters Of Fatty Acids), Glazing Agent (Carnauba Wax), Colour (Brilliant Blue FCF).
Extra Information
- Suitable for Vegetarians: Yes
- Suitable for Halal/Kosher: Not certified
- Gluten free: Yes, means <20mg/kg gluten
- Emulsifier: Vegetable Origin
- Suitable for Nut Allergy Sufferers: Yes
Are Mentos Mint Vegan?
As with the Fruit Mentos in the US, the US Mint Mentos have Beeswax in the ingredients. However, Beeswax is not listed on the UK ingredients list and neither are any other animal-derived ingredients. Therefore, Mint Mentos may or may not be vegan depending on your location. If “Beeswax” is not included on your Mint Mentos label, they should be vegan-friendly!
Chewy Mentos Spearmint
Sugar, Wheat Glucose Syrup, Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Rice Starch, Natural Flavor, Gum Arabic, Sucrose Esters of Fatty Acids, Gellan Gum, Carnauba Wax, Yellow 5, Beeswax, Blue 1.
Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Coconut Oil, Starch, Cocoa Butter, Maltodextrin, Natural Mint Flavouring, Thickeners (Gellan Gum, Cellulose Gum, Gum Arabic), Emulsifier (Sucrose Esters Of Fatty Acids), Glazing Agent (Carnauba Wax), Colours (Anthocyanins, Beta-Carotene).
Extra Information
- Suitable for Vegetarians: Yes
- Suitable for Vegans: No – contains Beeswax
- Suitable for Halal/Kosher: Not certified
- Gluten free: Yes, means <20mg/kg gluten
- Emulsifier: Vegetable Origin
- Suitable for Nut Allergy Sufferers: Yes
Are Mentos Spearmint Vegan?
Beeswax is once again listed in the ingredients on the US packaging. Interestingly, Beeswax is absent in the UK ingredients but is listed in the “Extra Information” section. As there have been discrepancies on there ingredient lists as well, this leads us to believe that Mentos has recently changed their ingredients away from using Beeswax. Therefore, Spearmint Mentos may or may not be vegan depending on your location. If “Beeswax” is not included on your Spearmint Mentos label, they should be vegan-friendly!
Chewy Mentos Rainbow
Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Citric Acid, Manioc Starch, Natural And Artificial Flavors, Gum Arabic, Carnauba Wax, Sucrose Esters Of Fatty Acids, Gellan Gum, Colors (Carmine, Turmeric Oleoresin, Beta-Carotene, Vegetable Juice, Annatto Extract, Beetroot Red).
Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Fruit Juices From Concentrate (Watermelon, Strawberry, Apple, Orange, Grapefruit, Raspberry, Blueberry) (2%), Coconut Oil, Acid (Citric Acid), Starch, Cocoa Butter, Flavourings, Maltodextrin, Thickeners (Gellan Gum, Cellulose Gum, Gum Arabic), Emulsifier (Sucrose Esters Of Fatty Acids), Glazing Agent (Carnauba Wax), Colours (Anthocyanins, Curcumin, Carmines, Beta-Carotene, Beetroot Red).
Extra Information
- Suitable for Vegetarians: No – Contains E120 Carmine colour derived from insects
- Suitable for Vegans: No – Contains Beeswax
- Suitable for Halal/Kosher: Not certified
- Gluten free: Yes, means <20mg/kg gluten
- Emulsifier: Vegetable Origin
- Suitable for Nut Allergy Sufferers: Yes
Are Rainbow Mentos Vegan?
Beeswax is absent in the UK ingredients but is once again listed in the “Extra Information” section. We believe this is due to a recent change in the ingredients and has been replaced with Carnauba Wax. However, both US and UK Rainbow Mentos contain carmine as food coloring. Carmine is a red food coloring extracted from a special insect species. You can learn more about carmine here.
Therefore, Rainbow Mentos are NOT vegan because they include insect-derived carmine.
Chewy Mentos Other Flavors
While all markets seem to carry the Mint, Fruit, Spearmint, and Rainbow varieties or chewy Mentos, each market has a few of their own flavors. In the following sections we will determine if each flavor in these markets are vegan-friendly.
US Chewy Mentos Other Flavors
As follows is a breakdown of the other chewy Mentos flavors available in the United States. As we have discussed previously, it appears that Mentos has recently changed their ingredients to exclude Beeswax in all products. If a product listed below is not vegan only due to Beeswax, check the Mentos package to verify if Beeswax is still used.
- Strawberry is NOT vegan (Beeswax)
- Cinnamon is NOT vegan (Beeswax and Carmine)
- Green Apple IS vegan
- Grape is NOT vegan (Beeswax)
UK Chewy Mentos Other Flavors
As follows is a breakdown of the other chewy Mentos flavors available in the United Kingdom. As we have discussed previously, it appears that Mentos has recently changed their ingredients to exclude Beeswax in all products. If a product listed below is not vegan only due to Beeswax, check the Mentos package to verify if Beeswax is still used.
- Choco & Mint is NOT vegan (Butter, Milk, and Whey Powder)
- Choco & Caramel is NOT vegan (Butter, Milk, and Whey Powder)
- Lemon Mint is NOT vegan (Beeswax and Shellac)
Mentos Gum
In addition to their chewy candies, Mentos also sells a variety of Mentos Gum flavors. Gum flavors vary slightly based on the market so we will give an overview of the universal flavors is this section and provide details of the market unique flavors in the following sections.
Pure Fresh – Freshmint
Once again, the ingredients vary slightly between the US and the UK markets. The UK website lists the Pure Fresh Freshmint flavored Mentos gum to be suitable for vegans and vegetarians. However, the US website lists Gelatine in the ingredients. Therefore, Mentos Pure Fresh Freshmint gum may or may not be vegan-friendly depending on the market. Check the ingredients list for Geletaine to be sure.
Pure Fresh – Spearmint
No animal-derived ingredients are listed on any Pure Fresh Spearmint flavored gum packaging that we could find. Therefore, Mentos Pure Fresh Spearmint gum is Vegan!
Other Flavors of Mentos Gum in the US
As follows is a breakdown of the other Mentos gum flavors available in the United States.
- Pure White Sweet Mint is vegan
- Red Fruit & Lime is NOT vegan (Carmine)
- Tropical is vegan (However, when combined with the Red Fruit & Lime flavor it is not)
- Pure Fresh Watermelon is NOT vegan (Carmine)
- Bubble Fresh Cotton Candy is NOT vegan (Gelatin)
- Ice Flurry is vegan
- Pure Fresh Bubble Fresh is NOT vegan (Carmine)
Other Flavors of Mentos Gum in the UK
As follows is a breakdown of the other Mentos gum flavors available in the United Kingdom.
- White Peppermint is vegan
- White Spearmint is vegan
- White Bubble Fresh is vegan
- Peppermint may or may not be vegan (Extra Information says it include gelatin, but it does not appear in the ingredient list)
- Spearmint may or may not be vegan (Extra Information says it include gelatin, but it does not appear in the ingredient list)
- Air Action is vegan
- Bubble Fresh is vegan
Is Mentos Gum Vegan?
Most of the Mentos Gum flavors are vegan! However, some of the flavors include Carmine or Gelatin so check the ingredients before purchasing and consult the lists above.
Mentos Hard Mints
Last of the product varieties that Mentos sells is there hard mints. The flavors vary in each market, so each flavor will be broken down in the following sections.
Mentos Hard Mints in the US
As follows is a breakdown of the Mentos hard mint flavors available in the United States.
- Clean Breath Peppermint is vegan
- Clean Breath Wintergreen is vegan
- Nowmints Peppermint is vegan
- Nowmints Wintergreen is vegan
Mentos Hard Mints in the UK
As follows is a breakdown of the Mentos hard mint flavors available in the United Kingdom.
- Stay Free Menthol Eucalyptus is vegan
- Stay Free Mint is vegan
- Mint Chews may or may not be vegan (Extra Information says it include Beeswax, but it does not appear in the ingredient list)
- Mint Crumbles may or may not be vegan (Extra Information says it include Beeswax, but it does not appear in the ingredient list)
Summary
As seen in this article, many of the Mentos products are vegan-friendly. In the products that are not vegan, the most common animal-derived ingredients are Carmine, Beeswax, and Gelatin. However, there are some discrepancies in the online ingredients vs those on packaging pertaining to Beeswax. Therefore it is believed that Mentos has recently removed Beeswax from many of their products.
You can read about other vegan snack options here.
