There’s nothing like a good breakfast cereal, but if you’re making the change to a vegan diet, it might be time to rethink your cereal of choice.
Lucky Charms are a household favorite. This cereal consists of multi-colored marshmallows and pieces of shaped pulverized oats, so you might be wondering; is this cereal vegan?
In this article, we’ll go through the ingredients in Lucky Charms and answer your questions about whether or not they are a vegan-friendly product.
Are They Vegan?
In general, Lucky Charms are not considered to be vegan.
Pork gelatin, which is present in them, is made from boiling pig skin, bones, joints, and other parts.
They also include substances that some vegans reject, such as sugar, artificial colors, natural flavors, and vitamin D3.
The Problematic Ingredients
Let’s start by reviewing the complete list of ingredients for Original Lucky Charms sold in the United States.
We’ll then go through the problematic ingredients in more detail, which are indicated below.
- Whole grain oats
- Oat flour
- Corn syrup
- Sugar
- Modified corn starch
- Corn starch
- Dextrose
- Salt
- Gelatin
- Trisodium phosphate
- Natural and artificial flavors
- Yellow 5
- Yellow 6
- Red 40
- Blue 1
- Calcium carbonate
- Zinc
- Iron
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D3
- A B Vitamin
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin B2
- Vitamin B1
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B12
Gelatin
Gelatin is an animal protein made by boiling bones, skin, joints, ligaments, and other tissues.
In this instance, the marshmallows themselves contain the gelatin. This is the main justification for Lucky Charms’ non-vegan status.
Sugar
To make it whiter, non-organic cane sugar is frequently filtered using animal bone char. Additionally, the label does not indicate whether bone char was used.
As a result, some vegans steer clear of sugar.
Artificial Colors
Petrochemicals are used in a synthetic process to create artificial colors. So they are not derived from animals.
However, a small proportion of vegans stay away from them because they are still subjected to animal testing due to ongoing safety concerns.
Natural Flavors
Animals and plants both produce natural flavors. Lucky Charms likely don’t include any animal products, but we can’t tell from the label.
Vitamin D3
The main source of vitamin D3 in cereal is lanolin, a grease derived from sheep’s wool. Therefore, it contains animal products.
However it is only used in extremely small amounts, so some vegans think it is acceptable to eat it.
What Are Lucky Charms Marshmallows Made Of?
The marshmallow pieces in Lucky Charms are referred to as marbits, which is a word for bits of marshmallow.
Ingredients found in Lucky Charms marbits include:
- Gelatin
- Modified corn starch
- Corn syrup
- Sugar
- Dextrose
- Calcium carbonate
What Gelatin Is Used In Lucky Charms?
Pork gelatin can be found in Lucky Charms.
The majority of gelatin comes from either beef or pork, and the cereal’s manufacturer, General Mills, acknowledges on their website that the gelatin in Lucky Charms is made from pork collagen.
Do Lucky Charms Contain Dairy?
There is no milk, lactose, or other dairy component in Lucky Charms.
Even those who have a milk allergy or lactose intolerance shouldn’t have any problems because there isn’t an allergen warning for “traces of milk” or “may contain milk” on the package.
Are Lucky Charms Halal Or Kosher?
Due to the gelatin found in Lucky Charms Marshmallows, the cereal is neither Halal or Kosher.
This is because the gelatin used is derived from pork, as explained above, which Muslims and Jewish people are not permitted to eat.
Do Lucky Charms Have Any Other Vegan Products?
Although Lucky Charms produces other goods as well, its cereals are their most well-known product. Sadly, they are not vegan either.
Here is a list of the non-vegan components found in different Lucky Charms products.
- Lucky Charms Sugar Cookie Dough With Marshmallow Bits – contains egg, sugar, natural flavor, and artificial colors.
- Jet-Puffed Lucky Charms Magically Delicious Marshmallows – contains gelatin, sugar, natural flavors, and artificial colors.
- Swiss Miss Lucky Charms Hot Cocoa Mix – contains sugar, gelatin, milk, natural flavors, and artificial colors.
- Lucky Charms Treat Bars – contains sugar, milk, vitamin D, gelatin, natural flavors and artificial colors.
Final Thoughts
Due to the presence of substances produced from animals, such as gelatin and vitamin D3, Lucky Charms are not vegan.
Lucky Charms also contain other dubious ingredients like sugar, natural flavors, and artificial colors, but these are less significant given that Lucky Charms has more overtly non-vegan ingredients.
In short, as a vegan, you’ll have to switch to another delicious vegan cereal at breakfast time.
