Yummy Vegan/Halal/kosher Gummies

So my mother started buying Welches fruit snacks for my booba. My DD loved them and I loved that she was eating something. That is until I realized they were made with pork gelatin :-(. So I have had it on my to do list to find a suitable alternative and today I did.

First I walked to Trader Joes and was happy to find they had three varieties of fruit snacks. Unfortunately they were all made with animal gelatin. I must say i appreciate the fact that they clearly listed that on their package, unlike Welches. From downtown Brooklyn I traveled to Park Slope. At Back to the Land.(Side note, they sell Qhemet Biologics!) I found what I was looking for, Vegan Gummy bears.

Well actually they were gummy bunnies. Annies Homegrown sells four varieties of their Bunny fruit snacks. So me being the collector and having traveled so far purchased all four varieties, berry patch, tropical treat, sunny citrus and summer strawberry. I must say they were tasty, a little bit stickier and chewier then Welches but yummy none the less. Plus the ingredients were pretty cool, no corn starch or red 40, it was made of cane sugar and fruit juices for color. The sugar and calories and the like were pretty comparable. Now although I was impressed with all of the above, I was not impressed with the price. They were about $5 a box and each box contains 5 individual pouches. Not highway robbery but just not cheap enough for this frugal momma. So I will either be on the hunt for a store that sells them for less.

Now there are some other Vegan/ Halal alternatives.
Edwards and Sons is another highly respected vegan company. They produce three kinds of gummy, regular, sour and jelly. Although I have not tasted them (yet), I have read nothing but good reviews of their gummies.

Surf Sweets. Some of their gummies are vegetarian and some are not. But they clearly state this on their website, again unlike other companies. The following was taken from their FAQ page.

Are your products Vegetarian?Five of our products are Vegetarian (Fruity Bears, Gummy Swirls, Jelly Beans, Sour Berry Bears and Sour Worms). Our Gummy Bears and Gummy Worms contain gelatin so they are not vegetarian.

Are your products Vegan? Four of our products are Vegan (Fruity Bears, Gummy Swirls, Sour Berry Bears and Sour Worms).

Seitenbacher is another company that sells gummies. On their site I counted 15 different flavors! Although they do not come in the cute individual bags like Annies, baggies work just fine.Goody Good stuff is another brand that has received vegetarian certification. 8 flavorsere vegetarian approved and 4 were vegan approved. They are gelatin free.

One major candy company has jumped on the bandwagon, Haribo candies now sells a kosher and a halal version of their gummy bears. Their halal version is only produced in Turkey, but can be purch as ed in the North West. They are come in 8 flavors and are gelatin free. Here is their FAQ page.

Heavenly Delights is an Halal sweets company. They unlike the previously mentioned candies use gelatin and so they are not Vegetarian friendly. Still they are Halal their website states" All gelatin is from Pakistan and is approved by S.A.N.H.A (South African National Halaal Authority). You can also rest assured that the whole production process for Heavenly Delights confectionery is monitored by qualified scholars."

You may also go the kosher route.

Oh nuts is a store based in Brooklyn. They sell Kosher certified gummy bears. They are made using fish gelatin.

Simcha Sweets is another New York store. They sell kosher gummy bears. What is cool about their site is they tell you the name of the Rabbis in charge of ensuring they are kosher.

Schneider Gummy Planet is the last that I will list for now. They van be purchased at Park East Kosher store.

Now you should be aware that although Vegetarian, Vegan, Halal and Kosher often overlap they are not always the same. Vegan is always vegetarian as, it has no animal products. However Vegetarian is not always Vegan,( a vegetarian could drink milk as it is not meat, but a vegan wouldn't because it comes from an animal. ) Similarly Vegetarian, vegan and kosher products may be Halal since they will not use pork. However they are not necessarily halal as they may use alcohol. So be responsible and read the box before you purchase and always feel free to call companies and ask them directly.