VEGAN CANDY

Okay. Let's not dwell on the fact that candy, at its most basic, is bad for you. This much is a given: wiping away the world's candy supply would make the human race a good deal healthier, and would put an end to some rather unsavory cravings we all experience from time to time. Ah, but that wouldn't be much fun now, would it? Life, after all, has its moments of difficulty among the joy, and these moments cry out for sweet reward. Let us not forget that ode to sweat delights: "Who can take a rainbow, wrap it in a sigh, soak it in the sun and make a groovy lemon pie?" The candy man can.

But rewarding yourself with a treat doesn't have to mean abandoning your vegan way of life. Vegan candy avoids several key animal-derived ingredients: gelatin (made from cow and pig products), lard and pepsin (both come from pig abdomen), cetyl palmitate (a waxy oil from sperm whales), and even carmine, the red coloring used is assorted candies, is made through a process that involves ground up insects. Vegan candy, on the other hand, replaces these and other worrisome products with animal free ingredients.

Luckily for consumers, PETA lists dozens of vegan candies that are widely available on store shelves. Scan the list and you'll find a few pleasant surprises, including popular favorites as Airheads Taffy, Dots, Dum-Dums, Lemonheads, Sour Patch Kids, Swedish Fish, Twizzlers, and many others. Or, to be completely safe, why not check for our vegan candy recipes for ideas on how to make your own? There's no more satisfying reward than the one you make yourself.