This year has been HOT. Temperatures have been soaring, and consumers have been snapping up ice creams and lollies from retailers across the UK. For vegan and vegetarian shoppers, the options are far more limited – with specialist vegan ice cream presenting a significant cost mark-up against normal versions.
One easy route to tasty frozen treats for vegans is to stock ice lollies. Considering they’re made with fruit syrup, not dairy, the majority of ice lollies are suitable for vegans and vegetarians unless they have added ingredients.
If you’re ready to order some new ice lollies, clue yourself up on which are suitable for your vegan and vegetarian customers by reading the tips below…
Are ice lollies vegan?
It depends on the ingredients of each lolly. A vegan product doesn’t contain any ingredients that derive from animals – which means eggs, milk, meat, fish etc are all out. In the case of frozen desserts, milk is the common culprit that renders lots of ice cream and some ice lollies unsuitable for vegans.
However, there’s also another hidden ingredient that can cause issues. Gelatine is a popular additive used in sweets and sometimes finds its way into ice lollies, so be aware of it.
With all of this in mind, most fruit juice-based options such as Rowntrees Fruit Pastille lollies are suitable for vegans. Ice lollies that contain chocolate segments or ice cream are not.
Are ice lollies vegetarian?
Yes – almost all ice lollies are vegetarian unless they have gelatine in them. Vegetarians consume dairy, so unlike vegans they aren’t worried about the likes of Fab and Feast lollies that contain milk.
Some of the best ice lollies are suitable for both vegans and vegetarians, so your customers don’t have to miss out. In the heat, the products which omit dairy are often more refreshing anyway – so when the sun is shining, direct your customers to classics like Bubblegum lollies or to new trendy alternatives like Chilly Billy Apple & Mango.
