Are Lemonheads Vegan? (Definitive Answer in 2024)

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If you want to try these delicious Lemonheads but can’t find the right answer are Lemonheads vegan. No worries, this article will help you determine if Lemonheads are vegan or not. Lemonheads are round, lemon-flavored candies that have a candy core, soft shell, and sweet wrapper.

The Ferrara Candy Company introduced Lemonheads in the 1960s. These sweets are round and fruity, with a sweet outer shell and hard core. They come in different flavors, such as apple heads and other fruity varieties. Although “Lemonheads”, are often associated with the original lemon flavor.

Are Lemonheads Vegan?

No, at least not by today’s vegan standards. Some people consider Lemonheads non-vegan while others consider them vegan. This is because lemons contain confectionery glaze.

Sticklac, a food additive made from a substance secreted naturally by female lac bugs larvae, is the source of this food additive. Some varieties are completely vegan-friendly because they do not contain confectionery glaze.

Lemonheads ingredients

To determine if a product has vegan ingredients, it is best to look at the ingredients list. Foods that aren’t made solely from plant products are generally not suitable for vegetarians. Below is a list of ingredients that go into making these yellow sour candies.

• Modified dietary starch
• Sugar
• Artificial flavors
• Shellac, or food glaze
• Citric acid
• Corn syrup
• Concentrate the lemon juice

Vegans should stay clear of controversial ingredients

Confectionery products often contain refined sugar, artificial flavorings and food colors. These ingredients can cause food hypersensitivity, allergies, asthma symptoms, abdominal pain, and other health problems. Sugar can make you feel hungry and addictive. Food additives can also cause weight gain, bladder cancer, and brain tumors.

Confectionery glaze

Confectionery glaze is not made from animal parts, but rather from the substance left behind by female lac bugs when they traverse the branches of trees.

It is mostly tree sap. The female lac bugs suck the sap and then secrete the stick. At this point, the shellac can be filtered and used in food. This substance is used by bugs to make mini-structures which are sometimes called cocoons.

I’ve heard both sides of this debate. Some people believe it is OK to eat. Others argue that you cannot just cut down trees and take the substance out of the branches for building material.

The substance is also widely used to coat food products, explaining why you’ll see so many apples in supermarkets. Because it is so similar in appearance to beeswax, many consider it non-vegan.

Personally, I aspire to be in the latter group. It is true that there is a process where bugs are used to produce shellac. To produce one kilogram (2.2 lb), of shellac, it takes between 50,000 and 300,000.

After the sticks are removed from the branches, they must be filtered to remove any bark. Although the bugs may have been dead by now, it is highly doubtful that the scraping would not have killed many more.

Mono and diglycerides, as well as lactic acid can all be obtained from non-animal sources. This makes them less controversial. Shellac is always of animal origin.

It is an individual decision. I am just trying to provide information. I will list the ingredients and offer an alternative for those who don’t want pastry glaze.

Artificial flavors

Artificial flavors have been tested on animals, and then made in labs, so they don’t really involve cruelty. Many people feel that animal testing is necessary in order to protect consumers against potential side effects and diseases. This is why it is controversial. Technological innovations promise that animal cruelty will be a thing of the distant future as new non-cruelty methods are developed.

You can avoid artificial colors and refined sugar by choosing products made from natural or herbal ingredients. You can find natural alternatives to the products that have additives on the market.

Refined sugar

Sugar cane and beets are the main sources of sugar. They have similar texture and tastes, but sugar cane sugar is processed differently to beet sugar. Crystals are formed when the beets are combined with non-animal ingredients through a diffusion machine. To extract the juice from sugarcane stalks, they are crushed and then filtered using bone charcoal.

To remove impurities, refined sugar is made from charred bones of animals. This filter is used commonly in the United States. Organic sugar is healthier than refined sugar. It does not contain any refining chemicals. Lemonheads are made with refined sugar.

Artificial colors

It is important not to mix natural and artificial food colors. Red 4 and Red 40, for example, are different colors in the way they’re applied. Row 4, also known by lipstick, is made of beetles and therefore not vegan-friendly. Red 40, or Allura, is an oil-based product that can be made from strawberries. It is therefore suitable for vegans.

Same applies to yellow 5, tartrazine, yellow 6, or yellow sunset. Both colors can be considered vegan as they are either petroleum- or synthetically manufactured. These colors aren’t vegan-friendly for some because they are still subject to animal testing. However, vegan communities believe that these colors are safe to eat.

Share the image below to your Pinterest board and spread the word to other fellow vegans!

Lemonheads variations

Lemonheads are the original lemon candy flavor with a sweet coating and a sour peel. This brand also offers Appleheads, Grapeheads, and other fruit-flavored sweets. These candies are almost identical to Lemonheads, except that they contain different flavors and colors.

Apple heads, for example, contain apple juice concentrate, yellow 5, and blue 1 food coloring. Grapeheads contain a mixture of artificial colors Blue 1, Blue 2, and Red 40. Lemonheads are not made with non-vegan ingredients like egg whites or gelatin, which creates an elastic texture unlike other chewing candy.

The chewable version, however, uses gum arabic and other additives to improve the quality of the candy. Arabic gum acts as an additive to soft candies. It is used in icing, fillings, gums, and other products. It can be used to make baking soda, which allows you to add sweeteners and flavors while also preventing crystallization of sugar.

Chewy Lemonheads also has lactic acid, which can be made vegan if it is not galactose. Lactic acid is an organic acid that can be obtained from milk, blood, and muscle. This acid can be made by chemical synthesis, or fermentation of bacteria with simple glucose.

Acid is made from sucrose, glucose, and galactose by bacteria. Galactose should be avoided in order to make it vegan. If it is present, it should come from beets or other vegetables. Lemonheads that have chewing can be made without lactic acid, but this does not mean they are vegan. This is only a warning to be aware of sweets that could contain animal products.

Lemonhead Alternatives For Vegans

Lemonheads may not be suitable for vegans. But don’t fret, there are plenty of other options. These vegan options will ensure that you don’t eat animal products when making lemon candies.

Lemonhead Twists

Lemonhead Twists is a great alternative to non-vegan lemon-flavored candy. Although it may not look or feel the same as Lemonheads Original, this candy product is delicious and can be enjoyed guilt-free. Natural flavors, sugar, corn syrup and corn starch are some of the ingredients.

YumEarth Lemon Organic Hard Candy

This brand of sweets is well-known for creating vegan options to traditional favorite dishes like Lemonheads. To make sweets healthier, they have removed the controversial ingredients that are often found in most sweets. It uses organic sugar and other natural components to make sure there are no animal products.

Claeys Lemon Drops

These lemon drops taste just like Lemonheads but aren’t quite as sweet. These lemon-flavored candies are made with natural lemon flavor, corn syrup, and sugar. Yellow 5 is the food color that gives this beautiful yellow color.

Amazing organic hard candies

The brand also offers high-quality vegan options so people who only eat plant foods can enjoy these tasty candies. You can choose from a variety of fruit flavors. However, the ingredients are nearly identical to organic sugar, grape color extractions, vegetable juice colour extracts and natural flavors.

Last words

Lemonheads, which are made from shellac or confectionery glaze that is secreted in Thailand by light beetle women, are not vegan. These lemon-flavored candies contain controversial ingredients that are not in line with vegan guidelines.

Non-vegan ingredients include animal derivatives as well as products that are made from animals. You can still choose vegan alternatives that taste exactly like Lemonheads. To find vegan candy that is 100% vegan, you can choose Lovely Organic or YumEarth.

It is crucial to read the ingredient list before you eat non-vegan hard candy. Refraining from refined sugar and artificial colors can help reduce food sensitivities. Which of these vegan options do you prefer to replace Lemonheads candy?