Have you recently gone vegan and want to know if you can still enjoy Nerds? Maybe someone has mentioned that Nerds are vegan and you want to see if it is true or not?
Or are you curious and want to know more? No matter what the question is that brought you here today, we have the answer for you!
Finding out if Nerds are vegan or not can be tricky. You can quickly find yourself frustrated, overwhelmed, and lost in a sea of contradictory information.
You start to wonder if you will ever know if you can enjoy Nerds again or not. Well, no more! Today, we are here with the answers you need. Keep reading to find out the answer to the question are Nerds vegan and everything else you need to know about them!
Are Nerds Vegan?
Let’s dive straight into it! Sadly, most Nerds are not vegan. Nerds are sold in multi-colored packets and flavors, giving you lots of different colored Nerds in one box. Some of these colors or flavors are not vegan.
Not only does this mean you can’t eat certain color Nerds as a vegan, but these non-vegan Nerds will have come into contact with possibly vegan Nerds.
Whether you want to pick out the vegan flavors or not is up to you, but we think it is best to avoid them altogether rather than risk cross-contamination!
However, there is a way that you can enjoy Nerds as a vegan! Some stores allow you to purchase specific flavors of Nerds that are vegan!
It can be tricky to track these down, but you can buy large bundles containing only the vegan colors or flavors, removing the risk of cross-contamination!
Which Nerds Are Vegan?
Only one flavor of Nerds is vegan, grape. Grape Nerds are safe for vegans to enjoy as they do not contain any animal products or byproducts.
It can be harder to find grape Nerds on their own, as they are typically sold with other flavors. However, you can purchase Nerds minis in bulk on Amazon, and these are all grape flavored!
You don’t need to worry about any other ingredients in these, so why not stock up and enjoy some Nerds whenever you fancy them?
Why Are Some Nerds Not Vegan?
As we have established, only one flavor of Nerds, grape, is vegan. All other flavors are not suitable for a vegan diet. Mainly, this is down to the pink and red flavor Nerds in a box, which contains carmine.
For those that don’t know, carmine is a red dye that is used in a variety of products from candy to cosmetics. It is made from crushed scale insects, like Beetles, meaning it is unsuitable for vegans to eat.
It is sometimes referred to as natural red or crimson lake too, so make sure you look out for this on any food packaging!
You don’t want to accidentally eat something that isn’t vegan. Unless you were to pick out all red and pink Nerds, it is unlikely that you will enjoy vegan Nerds unless you purchase the grape flavor.
Are Nerd Ropes Vegan?
Sadly, Nerd Ropes are also not vegan. While they come packed with a ton of colors, they all have carmine in them, rendering them unsuitable for vegans.
Nerd Ropes also feature gelatin and confectioner’s glaze which are both unsuitable for a vegan diet. Gelatin is made with the marrow and bones of animals, usually pigs, and helps to give some candies their texture.
However, it is unsuitable for anyone following a vegan or vegetarian diet and should be avoided where possible. Thankfully, gelatin is listed as an ingredient, so you can easily spot it and avoid it.
Confectioner’s glaze contains shellac, hardened lac bug secretions, meaning it is unsuitable for a vegan diet too. Again, confectioner’s glaze is listed on ingredient lists, but often isn’t in bold, so it can be a bit trickier to spot.
Any product containing this won’t be labeled as vegan, though, so you can still check easily if food is suitable for you to eat before purchasing it.
Conclusion
And there you have it! Most Nerds are unfortunately not suitable for vegans and should be avoided, especially when sold as more than one color or flavor.
The only Nerds suitable for vegans are the grape flavor, which you can purchase in bulk online. Remember to read the label of any food you purchase carefully to ensure it is safe for you to eat on your vegan diet!
