Artificial food colors are essentially vegan. They are made using various chemicals and are free of animal ingredients. However, they are not cruelty-free. There is strong evidence that artificial colors are tested on animals. As defined by the International Chewing Gum Association, the gum base is made of wax, food-grade polymers, and softeners. If you want to avoid contributing to animal cruelty in any way, avoid Extra chewing gums that contain any of these artificial colors. So, Is Extra Gum Vegan or Not?

However, it’s important to note that glycerolis a controversial ingredient in the vegan community. This is because one of its major (plant-based) sources is the palm tree. However, as I said earlier, it all comes down to what veganism means to you. Is Any Extra Gum Flavor Truly Vegan?In the case of Extra Gum, glycerol is most likely derived from pork fat, as this is the cheapest and most commonly used source. Is Extra Gum Cruelty Free?

Glycerol can be derived from both animals and plant sources. For this reason, most online sources (dedicated to veganism) classify glycerol as a controversial ingredient unless it is specifically labelled as vegetable glycerol. Sorbitol is a sugar alcohol that is often used as a sweetener in food. It is made from glucose and is found naturally in fruits, such as apples, pears, and peaches. Sorbitol is a vegan-friendly ingredient. Gum baseKnowing that animal testing is one of the biggest ethical issues veganism stands for, many vegans (prefer to) avoid products that contain artificial coloring.

But, if you have been vegan for any length of time, you would know that it doesn’t work that way. You cannot determine the vegan status of any product just based on the presence or absence of animal ingredients or by-products. I have discussed this issue in some detail in my article on Sour Patch Kids . Give it a read to discover why these widely used ingredients have a controversial status in the vegan world.Some even assert that when it is written as glycerol only, it is highly likely to be derived from an animal source. Sorbitol is a carbohydrate from the class of sugar alcohols called polyols. It naturally occurs a variety of fruits, but it is most commonly manufactured from corn syrup in the commercial industry. Some of the Extra chewing gum varieties contain both natural and artificial colors, while others only have one of them. From a strict vegan perspective, you should only consume Extra gum varieties (or any food item per se) that only contain plant-derived natural colors. Some hardcore vegans may want to avoid Extra chewing gums because of the presence of controversial ingredients, while others may not have an issue with their consumption because they are really hard to avoid. Glycerol is another sweet-tasting alcohol compound known by the scientific name of trihydric alcohol and the common name of glycerin. Is Glycerol Vegan?