Answer: It depends.
Some Laffy Taffy types are vegan, but others clearly incorporate animal-based components, and some have some questionable substances that hardcore vegans abstain from.
Laffy Taffy is not just a sweet, but it is also a time machine. This flavor brings you to your youth, whether you are old or still young. When you open a package of Laffy Taffy, you will be filled with excitement. Just hearing the name brings back memories of the sweet and unforgettable flavor.
In this article, we will discuss all your concerns regarding Laffy Taffy. Let’s dig in!
Table of Contents
Overview Of Laffy Taffy
Through Beich’s Candy Factory, you’ll be able to trace Laffy Taffy all the way back. Paul F. Beich founded Beich’s around 1893. The Beich Whiz bar is the popular marshmallow candy covered with chocolate that has been sold by the company.
Laffy Taffy’s title has varied just several times throughout the years. Beich’s Caramels is the initial name of the company, and Beich’s Strawberry Caramels has been used to name some of its packagings. Later on, it was already named “Laffy Taffy” when Nestle bought this candy.
Before, Laffy Taffy appeared to be more rectangular and chunky, and then you could purchase big quantities of many colors of little rectangular Laffy Taffy candies in quite a while. Nonetheless, this treat has evolved into a longer and flatter sweet, yet it remains somewhat tiny in contrast to many other candies.
Which Laffy Taffy Flavors Are Vegan-Friendly?
Any time you decide about such a food product, veganism prompts a set of questions. Most popular sweets and munchies are non-vegan; therefore, vegans are responsible for avoiding them.
These small Laffy Taffy treats have no animal by-product components, as per the list of ingredients on the back of the packaging. We’ll go through each kind to see whether any of the varieties are truly vegan.
Laffy Taffy Minis Is Considered Vegan
Corn syrup, cottonseed hydrogenated oil, sugar, malic acid, palm oil, artificial colorants as well as soy lecithin are the key components inside this variety. Although the food has no animal by-product components in this item, it still includes a lot of problematic additives that hardcore vegans must abstain from. Sugar, artificial tastes, palm oil, and artificial colors such as Blue 1, Yellow 5, Red 40, and Yellow 6 are some examples.
Laffy Taffy Ropes Is Also Vegan
Laffy Taffy Ropes are practically the same as Laffy Taffy Minis regarding their components. Corn syrup, sugar, soy lecithin, palm oil, cottonseed hydrogenated oil, and artificial flavors and colors are all included.
This Laffy Taffy variety, like Laffy Taffy Minis, includes contentious substances such as sugar, artificial flavors, palm oil, and artificial colors.
Laffy Taffy Stretchy & Tangy Is Not Vegan
The ingredients in Laffy Taffy Stretchy & Tangy are different compared to the Laffy Taffy Minis. There are also natural flavors, sodium alginate, egg albumen, and artificial color additives, as well as it contains malic acid, corn syrup, and coconut hydrogenated oil.
While it lacks the contentious sugar and palm sugar found in the other kinds, it contains animal-based substances such as egg albumen. According to some guidelines, natural flavors and artificial coloring agents like Red 40 are potentially hazardous substances. Laffy Taffy’s unique chocolate variation, on the other hand, is vegan.
The protein part of the egg which is isolated to be used as the basic ingredient is referred to as egg albumin. Albumin acts similarly to gelatin because it oxygenates the concentration of ingredients, resulting in a smooth and chewable feel to the sweet.
Vegans Should Avoid Laffy Taffy Jelly Beans
Various types of Jelly Beans have become vegan-friendly nowadays; however, Laffy Taffy really isn’t. Laffy Taffy Jelly Beans include beeswax in addition to certain other common candy components.
Many vegans believe artificial tastes, sugar, and artificial colors such as Red 40, Blue 1 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, and Red 40 Lake to be harmful.
Beeswax also isn’t permitted in such a vegan diet. Bees are a kind of animal, and taking beeswax is an example of animal abuse. Bees defend their colonies and thus are frequently murdered by people who intend to take their honey.
Laffy Taffy Bites Is Not Vegan
While it does not include the contentious sugar and palm oil present in the other versions, it does have pure animal-based substances, including egg albumen. Artificial coloring compounds like Red 40 and natural flavors are also harmful substances based on established standards.
Substances In Laffy Taffy: Non–Vegan, And Controversial
Let’s take a look at some of the disputed Laffy Taffy elements in the lists of the ingredients.
Sugars
Sugars, in all types, are commonly used in practically all sweets, which is a subject of dispute amongst vegans. It is because processed cane sugar was organically colored white with bone char.
Even by the moment when it is employed in candies, most of the remaining bone char has already been extracted, most vegans opt not to take processed cane sugar due to the process employed. The kind of sugar being used in Laffy Taffy is not specified.
Palm Oil
Palm oil is one of the problematic components since it comes through palm plants and is therefore theoretically vegan. The manufacturing of palm fats and palm oils, on the other hand, has contributed to increasing deforestation and serious ecological implications.
These consequences have seriously harmed animals by robbing them of natural homes and making animals homeless, hungry, and alone.
Natural Flavors
When you’re a vegan, you must start questioning companies more about the sources of the natural flavors within vegan foods. According to the FDA, natural flavors could also be acquired from animal and plant-based culinary substances.
This list includes vegetables and fruits, and also eggs and meats. In a candy with fruity flavors, a natural taste produced by animals might have been applied. Flavors such as raspberry and strawberry are some of its examples.
Artificial Colors
Yellow 5, Red 40, Yellow 6, and Blue 1 are artificial colors found within Laffy Taffy candies. Well, animals are not harmed in manufacturing either of these synthetic coloration compounds. These are all man-made colors.
Red 40 color is extracted through petroleum while Blue 1 color is created in a lab. But, it was not a good enough justification to classify a food as vegan. These artificial colors are known due to their laboratory experiments on weak animals in facilities, wherein they are dying as a damaging consequence of these testing.
Is Laffy Taffy Dairy-Free?
Laffy Taffy includes no dairy components and is typically regarded as acceptable for people avoiding dairy products.
Is Laffy Taffy Gluten-Free?
Laffy Taffy does not include any gluten-containing components. As an outcome, you may believe that this is acceptable to eat. Please keep in mind that it has never been gluten-tested. Moreover, it is produced in a factory where gluten-containing substances may be present.
Consequently, some individuals may feel it’s safe to eat, whereas others – notable celiacs might finally determine that it’s not. So, while there were zero gluten components, this is not a certified gluten-free food.
Laffy Taffy gluten-free items include the following:
- Bites
- Tangy and stretchy
- Minis
- Ropes
Is Laffy Taffy Healthy?
Now that we’ve discussed which flavors are not, let’s explore if Laffy Taffy, despite being vegan, is good for your health.
Well, Laffy Taffy is unhealthy. It’s sugar with artificial coloring and artificial substances, which can be bad for health.
Laffy Taffy includes hydrogenated oils, these are a polite way of saying trans fat. If you consume quite so much trans fat, your blood cholesterol levels go up. As a result, you are threatened by a range of cardiac diseases. Hydrogenated oils are also related to brain disorders, including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
| Nutrients | Nutrient Count |
|---|---|
| Total Dietary Fiber | 1200 g |
| Calcium | 5300 mg |
| Iron | 5400 mg |
| Vitamin A | 7500 mg |
| Vitamin C or Ascorbic Acid | 6300 mg |
| Cholesterol | 15700 mg |
| Protein | 600 g |
| Total Lipids or Fats | 800 g |
| Carbohydrates | 1110 g |
| Energy | 100 kcal |
| Sugars | 1510 g |
| Sodium | 5800 mg |
| Saturated Fat – Fatty Acids | 15400 mg |
| Trans Fat – Fatty Acids | 9700 mg |
Wrap Up
If you’ve been seeking explanations concerning this treat, I hope this article has been helpful for you.
To summarize, certain Laffy Taffy items are vegan, and others are not. The Ropes and Minis are considered vegan; however, the Tangy and Stretchy, together with the Jelly Beans, are not.
Although two Laffy Taffy products are vegan, they do include certain contentious chemicals which you should think about before incorporating them into your vegan diet.