Takis tasty tortilla chips livened up grocery shelves in 1999, before the new millennium began. As time went on, Takis increased their product range to include popcorn, potato chips, and cornsticks.
A lot of Takis products are suitable for a plant-based diet and lifestyle. However, some Takis varieties do contain animal-derived substances. If you’re vegan and are wondering whether Takis are suitable for your lifestyle, keep reading.
You’ll learn which types of Takis are vegan in this post, including the non-vegan varieties, and the ingredients in Takis that you should be aware of.
Technically Vegan Taki Ingredients
Several types of Takis are vegan without intending to be plant-based. These include Kettlz, Stix, and Pop. Despite this, Takis do use sugar, which some vegans chose to avoid. Vegans that have environmental concerns may choose to avoid other ingredients in Takis.
The ingredients below are technically vegan, as they aren’t derived from animal sources, but they may be processed using environmentally unfriendly procedures.
Sugar
All types of Takis are made with sugar, which is sourced from plant matter. However, many cane sugar brands are processed with animal bone char.
Sugar from beets, on the other hand, is suitable for vegans. If a food doesn’t specify where its sugar comes from, we can assume that it contains a blend of cane and beet sugars.
As you cannot guarantee that the sugar in Takis doesn’t contain bone char, stricter vegans may choose to avoid these products.
Palm And Canola Oil
High-fat oils like palm and canola oil are vegan, but they are linked with sustainability issues. Some vegans choose to avoid palm oil as it is linked to the destruction of wildlife habitats.
Soy
Soybeans, soybean oils, and soy proteins are vegan, but cultivating soy has connections to higher carbon emission levels and deforestation.
Despite this, most soy products are used to feed livestock. Just 5% of soy production is utilized for direct human consumption, such as soy milk or tofu.
Yeast Extract
Yeast isn’t an animal or a plant, but it is a fungus. This is why yeast is considered to be a vegan product. Yeast turns into yeast extract after the cell wall is taken down. The leftover cell contents are added to food to deliver savory flavors.
Artificial Colorings
Artificial food colorings are synthetic dyes taken from petroleum. Even though it isn’t taken from animal matter, combusting petroleum can contribute to polluting substances, like carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. This is why some environmental vegans choose to avoid artificial colorings.
Artificial And Natural Flavorings
Natural flavorings can be sourced from plant matter, but they can also be taken from animal sources. Artificial flavorings involve synthetically-derived products that aren’t created from plants, fungi, or animals.
A lot of vegans don’t worry about where natural flavorings were sourced from, but some stricter ones choose to avoid them completely, as they can’t be sure if they were sourced from animal matter.
Vegans with environmental concerns may decide to avoid artificial flavorings as they are sourced using petroleum, as mentioned above.
TBHQ
TBHQ (tertiary-butyl hydroquinone) is an antioxidant and preservative used to extend the lifespan of processed foods.
It isn’t derived from animals, but it is sourced from petrochemicals, so environmental vegans may choose to avoid the ingredient.
GMP, IMP, And MSG
GMP (Disodium guanylate), IMP (disodium inosinate), and MSG (monosodium glutamate) are vegan fermented sugars and starches. These sodium are added to foods to give products a savory, meat-like flavor.
Non-Vegan Taki Ingredients
Takis have made other products that are made with non-vegan substances. These may be obvious to some, but others may go unnoticed on the back of a label.
Skimmed Milk
Skim milk comes from cow’s milk. It has had most of its fat removed and contains around 85% water.
Whey
Whey is the remaining liquid after cow’s milk has been strained. It’s often added to baked goods to increase the protein content.
Carmine
Carmine is a red food coloring made from crushed, female, cochineal scale insects. Billions of cochineals are killed to fulfill the demands for food and cosmetics businesses.
Gelatin
Gelatin is derived by boiling the connective tissues of chicken, pigs, fish, and cattle to remove the collagen. It gives foods like marshmallows and candies a chewy texture.
Which Takis Are Vegan?
The following types of Takis are vegan, but they do contain sugar, so stricter vegans may want to avoid them.
- Blue Heat
- Kettlez Habanero Fury
- Kettlez Fuego
- Fuego
- Crunchy Fajitas
- Stix Flare
- Stix Fuego
- Pop Caramel Crunchy
- Nitro
Non-Vegan Types Of Takis
Some Takis varieties are fully unsuitable for a plant-based lifestyle. These include:
- Crisps Fuego
- Kettlez Jalapeno Typhoon
- Guacamole
- Hot Nuts Flare
- Hot Nuts Fuego
Conclusion
Now you know which Takis are vegan and which ones aren’t! Do remember that while some ingredients may be technically vegan, their processing methods may cause harm to animals and the environment.
You may or may not want to avoid certain ingredients depending on how strict a vegan you are. It’s best to always check the label and look out for any ingredients that are unsuitable for your lifestyle.
