Allen’s Lollies’ jelly beans are now vegan-friendly after they stopped using crushed bugs

Listen up, all you vegans out there with a sweet tooth! You can finally rejoice as Allen’s has announced its beloved jelly beans are now 100 per cent plant-based.

The Australian brand of confectionery products is shaking things up and joining the green movement after revealing their jelly beans will no longer be made from carmine - also known as cochineal - a food colouring made from crushed or boiled cochineal beetles.

These South American beetles are commonly used all over the globe to colour everything from ice creams, soft drinks to makeup, as their shades vary from crimson to scarlet.

PureStock / Alamy Stock Photo

However, now Allen’s will look to ingredients such as beetroot and paprika to colour its delicious treats.

But to ensure you have your hands on these plant-based lollies, look out for the ‘vegan-friendly’ logo on the front of the packet.

“Our fan favourite Allen’s jelly beans are now accessible for vegan lolly lovers,” an Allen’s spokesperson told news.com.au.

“The Allen’s lolly experts have made this possible with plant based colouring agents derived from beetroot and paprika.

“The transition to Allen’s vegan-friendly jelly beans will take place nationwide across grocery and convenience stores from mid-November, so look out for the ‘vegan-friendly’ labelling on [the] pack.”

Allen's

I mean, these ingredients sound a whole lot better than crushed bugs. I, for one, am looking forward to trying these plant-based babies.

No more beetle juice…literally.

As the announcement made waves on social media, many Facebook users applauded the company for its change in recipe.

One user wrote: “Bet the beetles are happy. I’d much prefer colouring from bets not beetles.”

Another said: “I love that they’ve changed their old recipe! As much as I love new products, I’d love to see more of this where existing products are made vegetarian or vegan friendly by simply changing one small ingredient. Go Allen’s.”

A third commented: “I want to see more of this…existing products becoming vegan rather than them bringing out a separate version! That’ll make a lot more change for animals.”

While another said: “Ohhh I have missed jelly beans so much! I’ll be hunting these down, thanks!”

Topics: News, Food And Drink, Vegan, Australia

Charisa Bossinakis

Charisa Bossinakis is an Associative Journalist at LADbible. Charisa has worked across various media platforms including, print, digital, radio and podcasting while maintaining the highest regard for quality work and integrity. She also covered everything from breaking news, to pop culture, entertainment and politics and is part of the editorial team for LADbible.

@CBossinakis