Cinnamon Toast Crunch is a tasty cereal loved by many, but if you are vegan, you should think again before picking up a box at the store!
Less strict vegans might eat Cinnamon Toast Crunch regularly, but in reality, the cereal isn’t suitable for plant-based diets.
This is because the food contains non-vegan ingredients. The first is sugar, and the second is vitamin D3. We’ll cover more about why Cinnamon Toast Crunch isn’t suitable for vegans in this post, including why vitamin D3 and sugar aren’t suitable for vegans.
Why Is Cinnamon Toast Crunch Not Vegan?
Lots of vegans consume Cinnamon Toast Crunch without issue. Cs it’s difficult to avoid eating sugar, and the cereal contains tiny amounts of animal products, these individuals won’t find any problems with these ingredients.
Most of the ingredients in Cinnamon Toast Crunch are plant-based friendly, including wholegrain wheat, caramel coloring, and vitamin C.
However, the cereal contains vitamin D3 and sugar, which make the food problematic for vegans that are vigorous about their diet.
Is Sugar Vegan?
Sugar is one of the main reasons why Cinnamon Toast Crunch isn’t suitable for vegans. Most of us believe that sugar is vegan as it is derived from a plant. While this is true, animal substances might be used in the production of white sugar.
Cane sugar sourced from farming methods that use pesticides and fertilizers might have had bone char added to it. This substance removes the natural hue from sugar to make it appear white.
This process is practiced all around the globe, utilizing cattle bones to make the bone char. You can find some white sugar brands that don’t use bone char, but many sugar companies continue with this custom.
If you are vegan and are worried about white sugar, you can substitute your usual brand for beet sugar. This is simpler to refine, so it doesn’t need to be processed with bone char. No animal substances are required to make it.
Nevertheless, typical refined white sugar is used to create Cinnamon Toast Crunch, meaning the product isn’t vegan.
Is Vitamin D3 Vegan?
You might not believe that a vitamin isn’t vegan-friendly, but vitamin D3 is usually created from lanolin, a substance derived from wool on a sheep’s coat.
Vitamin D3 can be taken from plants, like lichen. However, this process isn’t carried out often, so many products that contain vitamin D3 are likely to be unsuitable for vegans.
As Cinnamon Toast Crunch contains vitamin D3, it is technically a non-vegan food. Despite this, there are only small amounts of the vitamin present in the food, so lots of vegans might see no issue with consuming the cereal.
Many cereal brands have started using vitamin D2 in their cereals. Vitamin D2 is suitable for vegans as it is created using plants.
While Cinnamon Toast Crunch has yet to follow suit, we can hope that this practice will become more popular later on, so that more cereals become plant-based friendly.
Vegan-Friendly Cinnamon Cereals
If you are vegan and have chosen to avoid Cinnamon Toast Crunch, there are plenty of cinnamon-flavored cereal options that are suitable for your diet! Options include Barbar’s Original Puffins, Nature’s Path Crunchy Maple Sunrise, and Kashi Organic Island Vanilla.
Even though these cereals should be vegan, always look at the label to check the ingredients before you eat a product.
Companies update their recipes all the time. Cereals might be vegan one minute, but a simple ingredient change could make their product non-vegan.
If you are finding it difficult to assess whether a product is or isn’t vegan, contact the manufacturer. They will be able to tell where their ingredients come from, how they create their product, and if it contains any animal substances.
Ingredients To Be Aware Of
In the case of cereals, it’s a good idea for vegans to have an ingredient list to watch out for. Many products, like vitamin D3 or sugar, seem vegan-friendly, even though they aren’t.
Some things you should be aware of are:
- Casein
- Cream
- Eggs
- Gelatin
- Honey
- Marshmallows (except if they are labeled as vegan)
- Milk
- Milk proteins
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin D3
- Whey
- Whey Powder
If you are vegan, look at the ingredient label to see if any of the ingredients are in your product, and avoid any items that use them.
Conclusion
Cinnamon Toast Crunch is enjoyed by many vegans, but as it contains vitamin D3 and sugar, the product is not suitable for vegans.
If you are stricter with your diet, you can find other cinnamon-flavored cereals that are vegan-friendly, but always remember to check the ingredient list beforehand.
