Are Skittles Vegetarian, Vegan or Halal?

The world of candy is an absolute minefield for vegetarians, vegans and those on a Halal diet.

There can be all kinds of hidden animal-based ingredients in the places you would least expect to find them, making it very tricky to know what you can eat.

So what about our favorite candy? Skittles have been a delightful, sweet and juicy treat for many years, but can we eat them?

The good news is yes - most Skittles products are absolutely fine for vegetarians, vegans and those on a Halal diet, but there are some exceptions:

Wrigley's Skittles

Wrigley's Skittles states that "Skittles' previous formulation was Fruit, Berry..." (Please note that there may still be unsuitable products on the market, so you should always check the ingredients or choose products labeled "suitable for vegetarians".)

Skittles removed E120 cochineal, which is the name of a colored pigment obtained from the cochineal insect.

Fruit Skittles ingredients

As currently shown on the website: sugar, glucose syrup, palm fatty acids, citric acid, malic acid, dextrin, maltodextrin, flavorings, colors E162, E171, E100, E160A, E132, E133, E163, E160E, modified starch, acidity regulator trisodium citrate, glazing agent carnauba wax; contains artificial colors.

These Wrigley products are not suitable for certain diets

The following products are not suitable for those on a Halal diet:

Altoids mints

Lockets: cranberry and blueberry

Tunes: cherry

Mints 70-bottle pack

Skittles: Wild Berry and the limited edition Once in a Blue Moon.

Previous Skittles candy formulations: Fruit, Wild Berry, Crazy and Crazy Sours (Please note that there may still be unsuitable products on the market, so you should always check the packaging for "suitable for vegetarians," as the previous-formulation packs will not have this.)

The following Wrigley products are not suitable for vegetarians:

Altoids mints

Skittles limited edition "Once in a Blue Moon"

Previous Skittles candy formulations: Original Fruit, Wild Berry, Crazy and Sours (Please note that there may still be unsuitable products on the market, so you should always check the ingredients for the "suitable for vegetarians" label.)

The following products are not suitable for those on a vegan diet:

Altoids mints

Honey, lemon, cranberry and blueberry

Mints (single-bag pack) (may contain milk)

Skittles limited edition "Once in a Blue Moon"

Previous Skittles formulations: Original Fruit, Wild Berry, Crazy and Sours (Please note that there may still be unsuitable products on the market, so you should always check the ingredients for the "suitable for vegetarians" label.)