Answer: Yes.
Water is undoubtedly the best way to hydrate oneself. It may not be the healthiest beverage, but it’s not unhealthy either. Perhaps its only downside is a lack of flavor.
On the bright side, there are several drinks with similar or even greater nutritional value but various flavors. One such beverage is MiO—a water enhancer made by the Kraft Heinz company designed to add flavor to water.
It’s well-received by health experts; some even go as far as say it’s a better, albeit costlier, alternative to water. But while that’s good and all, is it vegan?
Fortunately, according to our research, MiO products are, in fact, fully vegan, despite several “vegan” experts claiming otherwise.
Of course, there’s merit to questioning such a statement, especially with the diversity of opinions, so we’ll start this guide by looking at the ingredients of MiO.
Table of Contents
Ingredients Of MiO
Although there are several categories under the MiO product line, most use roughly the same ingredients. Here’s a quick rundown of these ingredients:
- Water
- Acesulfame Potassium
- Potassium Citrate
- Potassium Sorbate
- Gum Arabic
- Citric Acid
- Malic Acid
- Red 40
- Sucralose
- Sucrose Acetate Isobutyrate
After in-depth research on each of these ingredients, we’ve found that all of these have no connection to animals and are, therefore, 100% vegan ingredients.
Consequently, since it contains no animal derivatives, MiO is 100% vegan.
So, why do people say otherwise? you may ask.
Vegan Concerns On MiO
Seeing as how you’re reading this guide, chances are you’ve also been to other articles. If so, you most likely have seen claims that MiO is supposedly not vegan.
That’s mainly because of one of its ingredients—red 40.
For your reference, red 40 is the name of one of the color additives manufacturers use to produce food and beverages. It’s approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Union (EU) as a food dye. It comes from petroleum and is there completely vegan. So, what’s wrong with this ingredient?
To start with, red 40 has an almost identical name as red 4—yet another color additive widely used by manufacturers and is, unfortunately, not vegan.
This is because red 4 is the code name of carmine or cochineal.
If you don’t know what that is, it’s basically a red flag for vegans since it’s made by crushing or pulverizing the bodies of certain scale insects and drying them afterward.
To sum it up, the main reason why some people claim that MiO isn’t vegan is due to its ingredient, red 40, which people mistake as red 4, a non-vegan ingredient.
Of course, this may not apply to all MiO products.
An In-Depth Look At MiO Products
Much like most brands, MiO offers more than one product. And each product may have different ingredients, though, in the case of MiO, the ingredients are roughly the same. Nevertheless, it’s best if you know what they offer, which will be the highlight of this section. Here’s a closer look at the four product lines of MiO.
1. MiO Original
Original is the main product line of MiO. Most of the products under this category have the same ingredient list as the ones mentioned in the earlier section.
Therefore, we can testify that this product line is vegan.
Besides being vegan, MiO Originals are also known to contain zero sugar and calories. Products under this category can produce up to 24 servings.
Currently, there are a total of 10 flavors under this product line, including:
- Berry Grape
- Berry Pomegranate
- Blueberry Lemonade
- Cherry Blackberry
- Cranberry Raspberry
- Fruit Punch
- Lemonade
- Mango Peach
- Strawberry Watermelon
- Sweet Tea
2. MiO Energy
The MiO Energy product line is pretty much the same as the MiO, except it contains a certain amount of caffeine, 60 mg per serving, to be exact.
Other than that, there are no differences in its ingredients.
Since caffeine is vegan, it’s safe to assume that the MiO Energy product line is also completely vegan. Each MiO Energy bottle can make a total of 18 servings.
There are six flavors under this category. These include:
- Acai Berry Storm
- Black Cherry
- Green Thunder
- Strawberry Pineapple Smash
- Tropical Fusion
- Wicked Blue Citrus
3. MiO Vitamins
As the name suggests, the MiO Vitamins product line is designed to help you get your daily dose of vitamins, B vitamins, to be precise. Examples include B3, B6, and B12. For that reason, MiO Vitamins is the healthiest product line of the MiO brand. Note that there’s a limit to how much B vitamins you can consume daily.
As for the ingredients of MiO Vitamins, there’s not much difference, except for the leaf extracts, which, as you may already know, are undoubtedly 100% vegan.
There are currently three flavors under MiO Vitamins:
- Orange Tangerine
- Orange Vanilla
- Orchard Apple
4. MiO Sport
Lastly, we have MiO Sport, also known as MiO Electrolytes.
Again, there’s not much difference between this and other products, except for its extra nutritional value that comes in the form of electrolytes, hence the name.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, electrolytes are the minerals in your body that assist with various bodily functions. It’s important to keep a constant balance of these components, but since electrolytes are lost when you sweat, that’s typically a difficult undertaking. MiO Sport is essentially a solution to this problem.
The ingredients are roughly the same as MiO Vitamins, though, unfortunately, the brand doesn’t disclose what ingredients they use to supply the electrolytes.
However, since sources of electrolytes are mostly vegan, there’s a good chance this product line is also mostly vegan. MiO Sport consists of four flavors:
- Arctic Grape
- Berry Blast
- Lemon Lime
- Orange
All MiO products across four different categories come in 1.62 oz. bottles. If you wish to learn how to use MiO, the following section should be plenty of help.
How Do You Use MiO To Flavor Water?
Using MiO to flavor your water or even other beverages like coffee or tea is quite straightforward. Read on for a step-by-step guide on the procedure:
- Buy a bottle of MiO online or through a store. Each bottle should contain 1.62 ounces or 48 ml of the product and a spill-proof lid.
- Open the lid and pour 2 ml or ½ teaspoon of the liquid into your water.
Note: 2 ml of MiO can flavor up to 237 ml or 8 ounces of water.
- After pouring the necessary amount, close the lid. You should hear a double click when doing so. This ensures the liquid doesn’t spill during travel.
- Store the bottle in a not-so-hot and not-so-cold area.
Although 2 ml is the advisable amount per serving, you can always increase or decrease this as you like, but make sure you don’t go overboard.
Can I Drink MiO Regularly?
It may not be the unhealthiest product, but MiO still poses health concerns, especially when consumed in large amounts. The following ingredients of MiO, in particular, can pose minor health risks, while others have some benefits.
Acesulfame Potassium and Sucralose
Acesulfame potassium, also known as ace k, and sucralose are sweeteners that contain zero calories. Interestingly, these ingredients are several hundred times sweeter than regular sugar. Though it’s not yet proven, experts suggest these chemical compounds may mess with the body’s insulin management system.
Stevia
Stevia may not be an ingredient of MiO Originals and Energy, but it is present in certain MiO products and incredibly beneficial.
According to recent studies, stevia can decrease appetite.
It may not be as beneficial to some people, but it can be handy in many cases.
Stevia is also found to have anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, antioxidant, and other therapeutic benefits. Of course, studies have yet to prove if these benefits apply to humans, but it’s certainly an interesting benefit of MiO if true.
Where Can You Get MiO?
You can get MiO by shopping in nearby stores. We suggest looking into their website and using their store finder, from which you can find stores offering MiO products around your area. When shopping for MiO, proceed to the store’s water or drink mix aisle. The product is most likely in these areas.
You can also get them from online stores such as Walmart, Target, and Instacart, though expect to pay more if you want to use this rather convenient method.
Wrapping Up
MiO may not be the most popular water enhancer out there, but it’s certainly made a name for itself on the market as a rather healthy product. However, as healthy as it may be, you must still ensure whether it’s vegan or not. Fortunately, it is indeed vegan, though some people may say otherwise.