It is October. The ancient Gaelic harvest festival of Samhain, that which the Church adopted as their own All Hallows’ Eve, draws ever closer. You’ve carved the pumpkin, prepared the sacrificial altar, and chosen a costume which makes you look fearsome yet accentuates your handsome thighs. But what will you, and all your vegan friends which you definitely have and don’t only know from Instagram, chow down on when the big night arrives? Which candies are vegan? Are gummy worms made from real worms? Is there lecithin in licorice? These (or at least questions like them) will be answered in Totally Vegan Buzz’s exclusive…

VEGAN GUIDE TO HALLOWEEN

The Top 10 Vegan Candies (U.S.A.)

10. Swedish Fish

The Lamborghini of the gummies.

9. Smarties

Gluten-free and safe from most major allergens, these chalky delights have been confirmed vegan since 2011.

8. Hubba Bubba

Sugar doesn’t count if you don’t swallow it!

7. Skittles

Now cochineal-free, so you can enjoy the taste of the rainbow without eating dried beetles.

6. Lemonheads

A candy that dates all the way back to 1962; lemons being the sweetest fruit available at the time.

Joint 5. and 4. Twizzlers and Red Vines

They’re chewy, they’re vegan, and they’re completely identical!

3. SweeTarts

The classic variety are vegan, but beware of the Chewy variant, which contains egg albumen.

2. AirHeads

I’ve never tried these ones but they look good so screw it, they’re at number 2.

1. Sour Patch Kids

Is it supposed to be a pun on “flower patch”?

The Top Vegan Sweets (U.K.)

10. Starburst

They contain gelatine in the U.S., but the U.K. version is vegan.

9. Millions

A sweet so popular, you might say it’s literally sold by the thousands.

8. Haribo Sour Rainbow Strips

As a young vegetarian way, way back in the dark ages of the 1990s, I would hear tales about Haribo. “Beware the Haribo, child!” the elders would warn. “They’s all got hooves in ‘em!” To this day, a shiver runs down my spine every time I pass a bag of Starmix in the corner shop. 

As time went on, Haribo put out vegetarian versions of several of their products, but by then I was vegan. “Beware the vegetarian Haribo, child!” the elders would once again warn. “They’s all got beeswax in ‘em!” 

Anyway, the Sour Rainbow Strips don’t, making them the only Haribo that vegans can enjoy. 

7. Love Hearts

For what is more romantic than a plant-based Halloween?

6. Dip Dab

A strawberry lolly in lemon flavoured sherbet – it’s basically a fruit salad.

5. Sainsburys Flying Saucers

“What if cardboard were delicious?” – the inventor of the Flying Saucer.

4. Sainsburys Fizzy Fangs

Fun Fact: If you eat too many, you’ll need a pair to replace your own teeth!

3. Jelly Tots

Their only downside is they’re too small.

2. Sherbet Lemons

A favourite of Albus Dumbledore, and a classic of the British sweetshop. (Note: While most varieties are vegan, be sure and check the ingredients on a brand-by-brand basis.)

1. Sherbet Fountain

Listen: licorice is gross. I’m sorry, but it’s the truth. And yet, dip it in sherbet, and it becomes not only palatable, but delicious. Nobody knows why, it’s just a crazy fact of life, and that’s why the Sherbet Fountain is at number one.

MVP: Toffee Apple

Forget about everything else on this list, because they all pale in comparison to the ultimate Halloween treat: the toffee apple. A crunchy, sharp green apple, dipped in molten sugar, and impaled upon a wooden stick. Sticky and gooey and soft and hard all at once, it is all things to all humans, and they should be sold year-round.

Which is your favourite? Did we get it right? (Hint: yes.) Let us know in the comments!

Marlon Farrugia

Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and animal rights is a strong theme in much of his work. He is primarily a humorist and fiction writer, with a background in theatre and music. Visit him at marlonwrites.com.

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