Rowntree’s makes Fruit Pastilles vegan-friendly

‘We want the brand to be enjoyed by as many consumers as possible,’ says Rowntree’s representative

Rowntree's vegan-friendly Fruit Pastilles (Rowntree's)

Rowntree’s has announced it is changing its age-old recipe for Fruit Pastilles by making it vegan-friendly.

Rowntree’s Fruit Pastilles have been around for close to a century-and-a-half, having been launched in England in 1881.

Throughout the years, several customers have requested that the recipe be changed to no longer include animal byproducts.

And now, the company has declared it has listened to this request by making its Fruit Pastilles vegan-friendly, omitting gelatine from the recipe.

Meg Miller, brand manager for Rowntree’s, stated: "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."

Ms Miller stated that by changing the recipe of Rowntree’s Fruit Pastilles to make it vegan-friendly, the sweets will now be “slightly softer” in texture, which Rowntree’s knows “has been a market trend for a number of years”.

“However, our priority was to preserve the fabulously fruity chew that has made Fruit Pastilles a classic for almost a century and a half," she added.

The Rowntree’s representative expressed her hope that fans of Fruit Pastilles "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.”

Rowntree’s announced the news to its customers on Twitter, writing: “Introducing new Vegan Fruit Pastilles! Same great taste, but now vegan friendly. You can thank us later.”

The firm also shared a picture of the new vegan-friendly Fruit Pastilles packaging, which states “now vegan friendly” in the upper right corner.

One Twitter user thanked Rowntree’s for making the sweets vegan-friendly, adding: “Welcome to the plant-based revolution.”

Another consumer said: “Actually huge props for doing this, I could never understand why in 2020 people are still making sweets with boiled bits of animals. I’ll definitely be buying some.”