If you are on a vegan diet or new to veganism you may wonder if your favorite candy or chocolate is vegan or not. One of them is M&M's. It's a popular candy for kids as well as adults. Let us see if M&M's are vegan or not?
The debate over whether or not M&M's are vegan has been around for years. Some people believe that the ingredients used in M&Ms make them an option for vegetarians and vegans, while others insist that they are not vegan because of the use of gelatin and other dairy products used in it. Let's take a closer look at what makes M&M's vegan or not.

What are M&M's?
M&M's are button-sized multi-colored chocolates. M&Ms first plain chocolate candies were introduced in 1941. It has a presence in 100 countries. Each of the candies has an "m" on it to segregate them from cheap duplicate candies. M&Ms are the flagship product of the Mars Wrigley Confectionery division of Mars, Inc.
M&Ms are one of the most popular candies in the world, and they're also one of the most controversial. The question of whether or not M&Ms are vegan has been a hotly debated topic for many years, with strong opinions on both sides.
Are M&M's Vegan?
So this is bad news for the vegans that M&Ms are not fit for vegans and in fact, there is no such variety you can call as a vegan. However, there are several vegan M&M alternatives.
M&Ms does contain some ingredients that have an animal source, such as milk, milk products, and milk chocolate.
However, it's important to note that these ingredients are all certified as humanely sourced and ethically produced.
In addition, Mars, the company that manufactures M&Ms, has stated that their candy is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
On the other hand, there are some vegans who argue that M&Ms are not truly vegan because of the way they are manufactured.
For example, some vegans believe that the candy (hard candy shell) is coated in shellac, which is derived from beetle secretions.
However, Mars, the parent company has denied this claim, stating that shellac is not used in the production of their candy.
Ultimately, whether or not M&Ms are considered vegan is a personal decision. Some vegans choose to include them in their diets, while others avoid them altogether. Regardless of where you stand on the issue,
What are the non-vegan ingredients in M&M's?
M&M candies contain many dairy products as their main ingredients. It may contain milk fat, cocoa butter, sugar, chocolate, lactose, salt, food coloring, dextrin, artificial flavors, corn starch, corn syrup, and gum acacia.
It may also contain milk, soy, and peanuts. Apart from that, dark colors are often tested on animals. The milk products and food colors make this candy unfit for the vegan lifestyle. However, these are fit for the vegetarian diet.
Vegan Alternatives to M&M's
After all, there is good news here. There are similar vegan options available in the market other than M&M that you can enjoy guilt-free. One of such vegan M&M is "Unreal".
UnReal's vegan Dark chocolate crispy gems is another featuring quinoa crisps coated with vegan dark chocolate.
These candies are free from artificial colors and made with natural ingredients like beet juice, spirulina extract, etc.
These are available online, at Whole Foods, in many local supermarkets in the USA, and even on Amazon.
UnReal makes vegan peanut butter m&m popular as UnReal Dark Chocolate Peanut Gems, and vegan peanut butter cups, including one with quinoa crisps.
Some other brands are "Little secrets", and "No Whey Foods".
Vegan products from Little secrets are - Sea Salted Peanuts, Dark Chocolate, Sea Salted Almonds. They also get seasonal limited-edition vegan candies.
No Whey Foods is great for people with food allergies, since this is not only vegan but also nut-free and Allergan-free. It comes with two flavors basically - Choco No No & Peppermint No No
So even if you can't enjoy the original M&M since they are not vegan at the same time for a sweet treat, you can trust these candies.
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