It’s official – Rowntree’s Fruit Pastilles sweets are going vegan!

One of the UK’s most popular confectionery brands for almost 140 years, Rowntree’s Fruit Pastilles, is switching to a vegan-friendly recipe for the first time ever.

From October, Fruit Pastilles sharing bags will be suitable for vegans with single tubes and multipacks following from February 2021.

Until now, Fruit Pastilles have been made using gelatine to give them their signature chewy texture. In order to ensure the sweets ‘retained the fruity flavour and iconic chew they are famous for’ Nestlé technicians worked hard trialling over 30 recipes to find the perfect vegan formulation.

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‘Deliciously chewy as it has ever been’

In a statement sent to Vegan Food & Living, Meg Miller, Brand Manager for Rowntree’s said: “We’ve had many requests from consumers over the years asking if we can make Fruit Pastilles vegetarian or vegan. 

“We want the brand to be enjoyed by as many consumers as possible and so we are delighted to be able to introduce our new vegan friendly recipe across the full range of sweets.”

Miller explained that when creating the new recipes for the beloved sweets, Rowntree’s priority was to “preserve the fabulously fruity chew that has made Fruit Pastilles a classic for almost a century and a half.”

She added: “In developing the new formulation, we were very conscious of our responsibility as custodians of this much-loved brand and its long history. Through this recipe change, we’ve made the sweets slightly softer, which we know has been a market trend for a number of years.

“The product development specialists at our factory in Fawdon have spent a huge amount of time and care perfecting the new formulation. We hope all Fruit Pastilles fans will agree that we have succeeded in developing a recipe which is as deliciously chewy as it has ever been, whilst at the same time being suitable for those following vegetarian, vegan and religious diets.”

Nestlé has been expanding its range of vegan products in recent years in order to target the rapidly growing vegan and flexitarian population in the UK. Fruit Pastilles will join the company’s vegan range which includes Jelly Tots, Carnation vegan condensed milk and Nescafé Gold dairy alternative lattes.