Sour Patch Kids are among the group of candies which has been satisfying the sweet and sour candy cravings for kids of all ages for decades. Starting off with an insanely sour flavor, and then bursting through with a sweet finish the Sour Patch Kids are a success in the candy industry. Delicious as they may be, are these sweet and sour treats vegan?
Sour Patch Kids are not vegan-friendly. While there are no ingredients which are derived from animals, ingredients like refined sugar from bone char, modified corn starch, artificial colors and flavors, and citric acid make it non-vegan. The best vegan and healthier alternatives include Lily’s Sour Gummy Worms, Project 7 Gummy Bears, and Annie’s Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks.
In this article, we’ll look at the fun story behind Sour Patch Kids, the ingredients and nutritional value of the different varieties, why it’s not a healthy candy, and offer some alternative candies you can try which are vegan friendly. Let’s dig in!
Contents
Story of Sour Patch Kids
Sour Patch Kids were introduced in the 1970s in Ontario, Canada, by the M & A Candy Company. When they were first produced, they were shaped like martians, to add to the excitement of the space program. Then, when the Cabbage Patch Kids came onto the scene in the 1980s, the candies were made into the shape of children in order to keep up with the times.
The “sour then sweet” candies originally came in the flavors of lemon, lime, orange and raspberry. Since then, new flavors like berry and watermelon have been added to the line.
Recently, the company added a “mystery” flavor to their bags of candy, offering anyone who could guess the flavor a $50k prize. Thousands of entries were received, with guesses ranging from circus peanut candy, to pineapple, and even pina colada. Keep reading to find out what the mystery flavor is!
Is Sour Patch Kids Candy Unhealthy?
Sugar
This is the first on the list of ingredients. This is not cane sugar, or beet sugar, which is used in many candies like Sour Patch Kids. This is processed, white sugar, filtered by using bone char. This bone char is derived from animal bones and is what gives the sugar its white color.
Invert sugar
The second ingredient in each flavor variety, is made when the sucrose is split into glucose and fructose. This type of sugar could be vegan, but it depends on how the sugar is filtered and processed. Without knowing the manufacturer of the invert sugar, it is hard to say whether or not it is produced in a vegan-friendly way.
Corn syrup
Another ingredient high on the list, can create health risks for people. The only way your body can utilize corn syrup is to go through a whole process of converting the fructose into glucose so you can use it as energy. This glucose is in carbohydrate form, something your body needs for your cells. While corn syrup is a vegan-friendly food, it is a food which goes through a lot of processing, with enzymes involved in the process, and enzymes can be a red flag in the vegan community. Some enzymes are vegan-friendly, but others can be derived from animals.
Every bag of Sour Patch Kids contains different colors. In order to make such a wide range of colors, the manufacturers use artificial colorings. Each of these color dyes are considered non-vegan, mainly because they are all tested for safety on animals, including mice, rats, and even dogs.
Flavor Varieties of Sour Patch Kids
Sour Patch Kids Original
Ingredients:
Sugar
- Invert sugar
- Corn syrup
- Modified corn starch
- Tartaric acid
- Citric acid
- Natural and artificial flavor
- Yellow 6
- Red 40
- Yellow 5
- Blue 1
Nutrition Facts (per 30 gram serving):
- 110 – Calories
- 0 grams – Total Fat
- 0 grams – Saturated Fat
- 0 grams – Trans Fat
- 0 mg – Cholesterol
- 20 mg – Sodium
- 27 grams – Carbohydrates
- 0 grams – Dietary Fiber
- 19 grams – Sugars
- 0 grams – Protein
Sour Patch Kids Watermelon
Ingredients:
- Sugar
- Glucose syrup
- Modified corn starch
- Citric acid
- Tartaric acid
- Artificial flavor
- Color (with tartrazine)
Nutrition Facts (per 39 gram serving or 11 pieces):
- 140 – Calories
- 0 grams – Total Fat
- 0 grams – Saturated Fat
- 0 grams – Trans Fat
- 0 mg – Cholesterol
- 40 mg – Sodium
- 34 grams – Total Carbohydrate
- 0 grams – Dietary Fiber
- 30 grams – Sugars
- 0 grams – Protein
Sour Patch Kids Extreme Sour
Ingredients:
- Sugar
- Invert sugar
- Corn syrup
- Modified corn starch
- Contains less than 2% of: tartaric acid, lactic acid, citric acid, natural and artificial flavor
- Yellow 6
- Blue 1
- Red 40
- Yellow 5
Nutrition Facts (per 40 gram serving or 16 pieces):
- 150 – Calories
- 0 grams – Total Fat
- 0 grams – Saturated Fat
- 0 grams – Trans Fat
- 0 mg – Cholesterol
- 25 mg – Sodium
- 37 grams – Carbohydrates
- 0 grams – Dietary Fiber
- 26 grams – Sugars
- 0 grams – Protein
Sour Patch Kids Mystery Soft & Chewy Candy
Ingredients:
- Sugar
- Invert sugar
- Corn syrup
- Modified corn starch
- Contains less than 2% of: tartaric acid, lactic acid, citric acid, natural and artificial flavor
Nutrition Facts (per 12 pieces):
- 110 – Calories
- 0 grams – Total Fat
- 0 grams – Saturated Fat
- 0 grams – Trans Fat
- 0 mg – Cholesterol
- 15 mg – Sodium
- 27 grams – Carbohydrates
- 0 grams – Dietary Fiber
- 23 grams – Sugars
- 0 grams – Protein
Vegan-friendly alternatives
Lily’s Sweets
On a mission to give up sugar, Cynthia Tice decided to make a no-sugar added chocolate, and Lily’s Sweets was born in 2010. Non-GMO and gluten-free, Lily’s products are certified as fair trade, and all foods are sweetened without refined or processed sugars.
Lily’s Sour Gummy Worms
With no sugar added, certified Non-GMO, and gluten-free, the sour gummy worm candy from Lily’s is a good alternative to Sour Patch Kids.
Ingredients:
- Soluble Corn Fiber
- Allulose
- Erythritol
- Lactic Acid
- Pectin
- Citric Acid
- Sodium Citrate
- Stevia Extract
- Natural Flavors
- Color Added (Apple, Blackcurrant, Carrot, Pumpkin, Saffron and Spirulina Concentrates)
Nutrition Facts (per 51 gram serving):
- 70 – Calories
- 0 grams – Total Fat
- 0 grams – Saturated Fat
- 0 grams – Trans Fat
- 0 mg – Cholesterol
- 95 mg – Sodium
- 42 grams – Carbohydrates
- 24 grams – Dietary Fiber
- <1 gram – Sugars
- 0 grams – Protein
Smash Mallow
This is not your regular marshmallow snack. The Smash Mallow company makes premium candy snacks made with only organic cane sugar, gluten-free and Non-GMO ingredients.
Smash Gummy Fresh Picked
- Chicory Root Fiber
- Allulose
- Organic Tapioca Syrup
- Gelatin*
- Organic Cane Sugar
- Citric Acid
- Natural Flavor
- Fruit and Vegetable Juice for Color
- Sunflower Oil
- Carnauba Wax
- Monk Fruit Extract
- (*Kosher Certified)
Nutrition Facts (per 30 gram or 12 piece serving):
- 60 – Calories
- 0 grams – Total Fat
- 0 grams – Saturated Fat
- 0 grams – Trans Fat
- 0 mg – Cholesterol
- 10 mg – Sodium
- 22 grams – Carbohydrates
- 11 grams – Dietary Fiber
- 3 grams – Sugars
- 2 grams – Protein
Project 7
Tyler Merrick founded Project 7 in 2008, hoping to create candies with reduced sugar, calories, and carbohydrates. His hope is to also provide a brand which can help provide funds for hunger, clean drinking water, and shelter for the disadvantaged.
Project 7 Gummy Bears
- Soluble Corn Fiber
- Allulose
- Organic Cane Sugar
- Citric Acid
- Pectin
- Sodium Citrate
- Natural Flavors (Lemonade, Strawberry, Kiwi-Lime, Elderberry, Tropical, Watermelon-Grapefruit)
- Colored with Fruit and Vegetable Concentrates (Carrot, Blueberry, Black Currant, Sweet Potato)
- Organic Sunflower Oil
- Turmeric and Spirulina Extracts for Color
- Stevia Extract
- Carnauba Wax
Nutrition Facts (per 49 gram or 22 piece serving):
- 60 – Calories
- 0 grams – Total Fat
- 0 grams – Saturated Fat
- 0 grams – Trans Fat
- 0 mg – Cholesterol
- 95 mg – Sodium
- 38 grams – Carbohydrates
- 19 grams – Dietary Fiber
- 3 grams – Sugars
- 0 grams – Protein
Annie’s Homegrown
Starting with selling macaroni and cheese from her trunk, Annie Withey founded the Annie’s Homegrown company. Since the late 1980s, Annie’s has been branching out into snacks, baking ingredients, condiments, cookies and crackers. All her products are certified organic, gluten-free, made with real fruit juices, but not made with high fructose corn syrup or artificial colors or synthetic colors.
Annie’s Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks
- Organic Tapioca Syrup
- Organic Cane Sugar
- Organic Tapioca Syrup Solids
- Organic Pear Juice Concentrate
- Water
- Pectin
- Citric Acid
- Sodium Citrate
- Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)
- Organic Color (Organic Black Carrot, Organic Black Currant Extracts)
- Organic Sunflower Oil
- Natural Flavor
- Organic Carnauba Wax
Nutrition Facts (per 29 gram pouch serving):
- 80 – Calories
- 0 grams – Total Fat
- 0 grams – Saturated Fat
- 0 grams – Trans Fat
- 0 mg – Cholesterol
- 55 mg – Sodium
- 19 grams – Carbohydrates
- 11 grams – Sugars
- 45 mg – Calcium
Final Thoughts
While Sour Patch Kids do not contain any specific ingredients which are derived from animals, there are ingredients which can be considered non-vegan friendly. Sugar, invert sugar, modified corn starch, and artificial flavors are all ingredients which are processed using non-vegan friendly methods.
Related Questions
Are Sour Patch Kids gluten-free?
Sour Patch Kids do not contain any gluten-containing products, like wheat, barley or rye, and so can be considered gluten-free.
Are Sour Patch Kids kosher?
Sour Patch Kids cannot be considered kosher. Each variety contains artificial ingredients and additives, which are made from non-kosher ingredients.
What is the Sour Patch Kids mystery flavor?
Announced in August 2021, the mystery flavor for the new Sour Patch Kids pale yellow candy is … Banana Cream