If you are vegan, coeliac or just careful about what goes into your food, the flavouring in flavoured sugar is the part worth checking, since sugar itself is not always the issue people assume it is. Here is what actually determines whether a flavoured sugar fits a vegan or gluten free diet, and how our four Drops stack up.
Is sugar itself vegan
Refined white sugar is sometimes processed using bone char as a filtering agent, mostly in the United States, which puts it outside vegan diets for some people. This is much less common in UK and European sugar refining, and demerara, muscovado and cane sugars in particular are typically not bone char filtered, since that process is associated with refined white sugar specifically. If veganism matters to you, it is worth checking with any sugar producer directly rather than assuming, since practices vary by refinery.
What actually makes flavoured sugar non-vegan
The flavouring is usually the deciding factor, not the sugar base. Common non-vegan additions in flavoured sugars generally include dairy derived flavour compounds, certain natural flavour extracts processed with animal derived carriers, or honey. None of our four Drops contain dairy, honey or animal derived flavourings. Dirty Vanilla uses vanilla caviar and vanilla extract powder, Juicy Strawberry uses freeze dried strawberry powder, malic acid and strawberry flavour oil, Midnight Mocha uses espresso crystals, Dutch processed black cocoa and sea salt flakes, and Spiced Chai uses cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and clove on a muscovado base. All plant derived.
Is flavoured sugar gluten free
Sugar itself contains no gluten, and none of the flavouring ingredients across our four Drops, vanilla, cocoa, coffee, fruit or spice, are gluten containing. The genuine risk with any packaged food is cross contamination during production if a facility also handles wheat, barley or rye based products. Always check the allergen statement on the specific product you are buying rather than assuming gluten free status from the ingredient list alone, since packaging requirements mean allergen information should be confirmed on pack or with the maker directly.
What to check before buying any flavoured sugar
- Read the full ingredient list, not just the flavour name on the front of the pack, since a small amount of dairy or honey can be present without being obvious.
- Check the allergen statement specifically, which is a legal requirement on UK food packaging and the most reliable source.
- If in doubt, contact the maker directly. A brand that hand packs in small batches, as we do, will usually be able to answer allergen questions specifically rather than pointing to a generic policy.
Our commitment
Every pouch of Dirty Vanilla, Juicy Strawberry, Midnight Mocha and Spiced Chai is hand packed in our Orpington workshop, and full ingredients are listed on each product page. If you have a specific dietary question we have not answered here, email us at hello@crushandcane.com and we will get back to you directly.
Shop the range: Dirty Vanilla, Juicy Strawberry, Midnight Mocha, Spiced Chai.
