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How To Enjoy Candy (And Stay Vegan) For Halloween

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at Maryland chapter.

We have lots of vegan friends here at Spoon University, and Halloween is just around the corner. I want to provide some clarity for what candy our vegan friends can enjoy on Halloween. Vegan means it does not contain any animal products. A lot of foods on the market contain animal products and we don’t even know it. Most chocolate candies contain either milk or milk fat, which are both not vegan. If you are craving chocolate, try dark chocolate, but always check ingredients because Hershey’s dark chocolate still contains milk.

PETA is always a good resource if you are ever wondering about the benefits of being vegan, or looking for a list of vegan foods and candies.

As stated before, vegans should steer clear of candies with milk in them and also candies with gelatin. Gelatin is made from boiled bones from cows or pigs. Gelatin is used as a thickener and is present in many candies. But many companies have recently transitioned to using modified corn starch to replace gelatin and appeal to vegans!

Airheads

Who doesn’t love the mystery flavor?! Airheads have so many flavors from cherry to blue raspberry!

Twizzlers

 Such a classic candy! Twizzlers also come in many different flavors; I love the rainbow colored ones with flavors like strawberry, orange, grape, lemonade and watermelon. This was my favorite candy to get when I went trick-or-treating, especially the rainbow ones.

Smarties

Even though some people may have some hate for smarties, they are VEGAN! And personally, I think they are delicious! I used to stock up on these during Halloween and would then bring them to school with me and eat them before tests…hey…you can’t blame me...my teachers told me they would make me smart!

Swedish Fish

Some forms of Swedish fish contain beeswax, so be sure to check out those ingredient labels! Swedish fish comes in the original flavor as well as a tropical flavor (which is also delicious!)

Skittles

Taste the rainbow and enjoy being vegan on Halloween! These are also the best mixed in with your bucket of popcorn at the movie theater (sweet and salty bites… can you say YUM!)

Sour Patch Kids

These are my absolute favorite candy! Next time you try Sour Patch Kids, pop them in the freezer before you eat them…it will make them even better (just trust me.)

With the Halloween season, it is possible to stay vegan and still enjoy candy! It is important to make sure you read nutrition and ingredient labels to check to see if the candy is vegan. Many times companies like to sneak in animal products, so be attentive to the candy you are eating.

Most people think it is impossible to find vegan candy, but our vegan friends are lucky because more and more companies are becoming aware of this food trend and are changing their recipes to accommodate vegans! So it is not as hard to be a vegan anymore.

Jenna Tognola

Maryland '22

I am a dietetics student at the University of Maryland. I love sharing my passion for nutrition and food with others. For any inquiries or comments, contact me through my email: jtognola@umd.edu. Enjoy my articles!