Are there any vegan soft drinks?

Question

I've been thinking about becoming vegan for a long time, and I've finally decided that I want to become vegan, but I have a question, are there any vegan soft drinks? Like Coke, Pepsi, Barq's Root Beer, Sprite, 7 Up, anything? I looked at Peta2's website and they didn't list any and I was wondering why. Also, are they even vegetarian friendly? Thanks!

Answer 1

For the uninformed, some strict vegans do not consider anything with refined sugar as an ingredient as being vegan.

Many refined sugars are filtered with bone char. Some consider this vegan because the bones do not end up in the final product while others do NOT consider it vegan because of what the sugar is filtered with.

With that being said, I think that the soft drinks you've named would be considered vegan if you feel that they are - the decision to eat or not eat refined sugars is yours alone, and you will still be considered a vegan either way - it depends on how strict you are. :)

Just make sure you read all of the ingredients on your food, and know what it all means! PETA has some great resources for vegetarians/vegans, as well as the Vegetarian Resource Group (www.vrg.org).


Check the natural/health food stores for "healthy" soda. There are many that are sweetened with raw, natural sweeteners. I've found many natural root beers that are so flavorful with spices that I was surprised they weren't sweetened at all! I used to drink a lot of the more mainstream sodas, but after experimenting and finding more healthy sodas that taste so much better, I could never go back. :)

If you like root beer, I'd suggest Virgil's Root Beer - my local grocery store carries it in the health food section. It's delicious. :) http://www.virgils.com/about.shtml

Answer 2

Vegan Soft Drinks

Answer 3

Besides the refined sugar which is filtered through bone char like others have mentioned, both Coca Cola and Pepsi has gelatin in it that aren t listed (and which is also allowed by the FDA). So no, they aren t vegan.

Nestea and the company that makes it, Nestle, goes through animal testing for their teas (cutting animals open, and electrocuting them while they re still alive, etc.) so they also cannot be considered as vegan.

I ve tried and love the Zevia soda pops that are certified vegan and cruelty-free. They re way healthier and sweetened with stevia. There are many other natural sodas as well as others have mentioned that are likely vegan as well.

With juices and candies, they may also contain ingredients such as shellac, cochineal, and carmine which are bugs they use for coloring. While not all juices have them, many do.

If you see beta-carotene listed as an ingredient, it may also not be vegan since it s often clarified with gelatin, which is not vegan.

In conclusion, if you re a strict vegan, than Coca Cola produts and Pepsi aren t vegan. At the same time, it s difficult to be 100% perfect when it comes to veganism and the main point of going vegan is to cause less harm. While it s easy to cause less harm, it s really difficult to cause no harm since so many products out there sneak non-vegan ingredients and processes into their foods. So really, do your very best. There are quite a lot of vegan alternatives to soda so you shouldn t have a difficult time subbing your usual cola for a vegan one.

Answer 4

Once you go vegan and feel how good your body responds to more natural, healthful foods you won't want that crap anymore anyway. I believe everything you mentioned has high fructose corn syrup, which is an ultra processed chemical syrup. Not to mention the calories. Unless you drink diet. Then you're chugging chemical sweeteners! I buy all-natural sodas when i relly want a treat, otherwise I'm all about fruit juice with a some mineral water. I was a Diet Coke fiend, too. I haven't had a sip since I gave it up and I don't regret it AT ALL!

Answer 5

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Only soft drinks that do not contain sugar refined with animal bone char. I personally do not touch any of them. Water is better for me anyway and I've gotten used to drinking it. Some soft drink companies like Jones Soda, Izzy, and Sobe don't use animal based food coloring, bone-charred sugar etc, but you have to watch for unhealthy stuff like aspartame, corn syrup, indiscernible chemicals and such. That's why a lot of us personally avoid them.

Answer 6

As a vegan I avoid Coke and Pepsi. I just prefer not to give my money to these major corporations when I can help it.

I used to be a Diet Coke fiend but I am so glad I gave it up - I feel so much better. Now if I want to a soft drink I will drink lemon italian soda or Blue Sky ginger ale.

(I think Coke and maybe Pepsi have had a history of animal testing which would technically make them not vegan)

Answer 7

Whether they are vegan or not depends on 2 things-which soft drink it is and how strict of a vegan you are. Some vegans do not consume any refined sugars, which most soft drinks contain. There may be other ingredients in particular drinks that may or may not be animal derived. You can read about some of the more common ingredients at www.vrg.org (click on "Food ingredients" on the home page)and make your own decision about a particular soft drink.

Hope that helps!

Answer 8

I would think that most of them are. I'm reading a can of Jones Kiwi right now and it looks pretty vegan to me. And it's made with natural stuff too.

Oh, and here is something addressing the issue of bone char and sugar (from vrg.org):

"Beet sugar refineries never use a bone char filter in processing because this type of sugar does not require an extensive decolorising procedure. Beet sugar can be refined with a pressure lead filter and an ion exchange system. Beet sugar is popular in the Midwest because it is grown in this area. It is often labeled Granulated Sugar. Beet sugar is becoming more prevalent in the United States because the Federal government subsidises this industry.

Almost all cane sugar refineries require the use of a specific filter to decolorise the sugar and absorb inorganic material from it. This whitening process occurs towards the end of the sugar refining procedure. The filter may be either bone char, granulated carbon, or an ion exchange system. The granular carbon has a wood or coal base, and the ion exchange does not require the use of any animal products (2).

Bones from cows are the only type used to make bone char. According to the Sugar Association and several large sugar producers, all of the cows have died of "natural causes" and do not come from the U.S. meat industry. Bone char cannot be produced or bought in the United States "

Answer 9

I've answered this question so many times I saved a standard answer to your question.
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I'm not even sure they're vegetarian in many cases! If they list sugar as an ingredient you'd need to be concerned with bone char being used to filter the sugar.

Fruit flavored ones may contain unlisted glycerin as part of the flavoring per FDA regulations.

Cola's are allowed to have (among other things) musk oil, civet oil, pepsin and other animal based enzymes and/or flavorings as part of legally unlisted natural flavorings per FDA regulations. Be warned that those same rules legally allow makers to 'lie' about the "trade secret" ingredients!

What you have to ask the manufacturer is "Does your product contain any animal ingredients, or any ingredients processed with animal products, or any ingredients that originally derived from an animal source and/or are any products originally from an animal source used in the manufacture of your product?".

I've NEVER had a major soda producer give a straight yes/no answer to that question! This is the question you ask ANY food producing company if you want an answer will hold up in court. The last soda company that gave me a straight answer of no to that question was the original producer of "Ginseng Rush" back in the '70s.

IMHO soda can't be trusted! If you'd like a shock try asking that question to juice companies. Many juices are processed using animal based enzymes (sorry to ruin your day).
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Answer 10

I believe most all soft drinks are vegan.. the only thing you might need to watch out for is certain red food colorings, which would only be in maybe strawberry or really RED (not coke colored, RED) soft drinks.

So.. I don't think there's anything wrong with most soft drinks.

I could be wrong.