Rowntree’s Fruit Pastilles have traditionally been a gelatine-based chewy sweet, but since the recipe was changed, Fruit Pastilles can now be enjoyed by vegans and vegetarians!
The new recipe
Nestle’s technicians worked hard to make the vegan fruit pastilles, trialling over 30 recipes to find the perfect formulation of ingrediets.
New ingredients: Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Starch, Invert Sugar Syrup, Acids (Malic Acid, Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Acetic Acid), Concentrated Fruit Juice (1.2%) (Apple, Blackcurrant, Lime, Orange, Strawberry, Lemon), Acidity Regulator (Trisodium Citrate), Flavourings, Colours (Anthocyanins, Copper Complexes of Chlorophyllins, Beta-Carotene, Curcumin)
Old ingredients: Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Gelatine, Gum Arabic, Modified Starch, Concentrated Fruit Juice (1%) (Grape, Apple, Lime, Orange, Blackcurrant, Strawberry, Lemon), Acids (Malic Acid, Citric Acid, Lactic Acid), Acidity Regulator (Trisodium Citrate), Flavourings, Naturally Sourced Colours (Anthocyanins, Curcumin, Beta-carotene, Copper Complexes of Chlorophyllins).
The new vegan Fruit Pastilles recipe is now used across the full range of Fruit Pastilles sweets including tubes and sharing bags. The new packs of Fruit Pastilles say ‘NOW VEGAN FRIENDLY’ on the front.
“We have had many requests from consumers over the years asking if we can make Fruit Pastilles vegetarian or vegan. We want the brand to be enjoyed by as many consumers as possible and so we are delighted to be able to introduce our new vegan-friendly recipe across the full range of sweets.
“In developing the new formulation, we were very conscious of our responsibility as custodians of this much-loved brand and its long history. Through this recipe change, we’ve made the sweets slightly softer, which we know has been a market trend for a number of years. However, our priority was to preserve the fabulously fruity chew that has made Fruit Pastilles a classic for almost a century and a half.”
Meg Miller – Rowntree’s brand manager
Vegan Fruit Pastilles Review
I was lucky enough to get my hands on a packet of the new vegan Fruit Pastilles and they are good! I hadn’t eaten Fruit Pastilles since I was around ten years old, so I was super excited to try them!
The Fruit Pastilles are really sweet and tasty. They are slightly softer than the originals, but if that bothers you, I suggest that you pop them in the fridge for a while and they’ll become much more solid and chewy.
Fruit Pastilles FAQs
Rowntree’s Fruit Pastilles no longer contain gelatine since the recipe was changed in October 2020. Fruit Pastilles are suitable for vegans, vegetarians and those following a halal diet.
Although some red food colouring is made from crushed beetles, the red colouring used in Fruit Pastilles has never been derived from animals. Red Fruit Pastilles are suitable for vegans, just as all the other colours are.
The new vegan Fruit Pastilles are slightly softer than the ones with gelatine, but the flavours are exactly the same.
Fruit Pastilles ice lollies are suitable for vegans and vegetarians as they do not contain any animal-derived ingredients. They are, however, made alongside milk products so may not be suitable for those with allergies due to the risk of cross-contamination.
Conclusion
It’s fantastic news that a product with a 140-year history has now been made vegan by popular demand. According to The Vegan Society, the number of vegans in the UK has quadrupled over five years from 2014 to 2019. We look forward to seeing more sweets that contain gelatine being made vegan over the coming years.