By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

Introduction

Since August 2015 when The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) received confirmation from Wrigley® that it uses tallow- and lard-derived stearic acid in several flavors of its Life Savers® mints, we canvassed the mint market to identify brands containing animal-derived stearic acid or stearate compounds such as calcium stearate or magnesium stearate.

The VRG investigated 68 different mint brands in order to analyze trends in stearic acid/stearate use in mint products.

Based on our research The VRG determined that:
• Most mint brands that we researched (48/68 = 70.6%) contain one or two of the following: stearic acid, magnesium stearate or calcium stearate.
• Only 6/68 = 8.8% of all mint brands that we researched contain animal-based stearic acid or stearate compounds.
• Only three confections companies (Wrigley, Hershey’s®, and Mondelēz International®) state they use or may use animal-derived stearic acid or stearates in some of their mints. All three are very large corporations producing high product volumes.
• However, it is not correct to conclude that all large corporations use animal-derived stearic acid and stearate compounds. A notable example of a major company that uses vegetable-based stearic acid and magnesium stearate is Nestlé® UK. This company also confirmed by email that the sugar used in their products is not processed with animal ingredients.
• All smaller and/or newer companies use vegetable-sourced stearic acid an/or stearate compounds. Some of these companies use the chemically inaccurate term “vegetable stearate” on their ingredient statements highlighting their ingredient source.

Of the top five mint brands (by 2014-15 sales volume: http://www.statista.com/statistics/262572/leading-us-breath-freshener-brands-based-on-sales/),
o #1 Tic Tac® contains vegetable-derived magnesium stearate and sugar. According to an email response from Tic Tac Customer Relations their sugar has not been whitened through cow bone char.
o #2 Ice Breakers® contains magnesium stearate that according to its manufacturer Hershey’s is “usually” animal-derived.
o #3 Altoids® Original by Wrigley is non-vegetarian containing gelatin.
o #4 Breathsavers® contains magnesium stearate that according to its manufacturer Hershey’s is “usually” animal-derived.
o #5 Listerine® Pocketpacks® by Johnson & Johnson® contains no animal-derived ingredients nor sugar.

There are many vegan mint products considering both ingredients and sugar whitening methods. Look for a complete list of vegan mints in an upcoming article.
Please watch for follow-up articles!

The contents of this posting, our website, and our other publications, including The Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

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Or donate at http://www.vrg.org/donate

The contents of this website and our other publications, including The Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.