Wondering if energy drinks are vegan? An absolutely justified question! After all, Red Bull and co. usually contain taurine, which according to the advertising is supposed to make you awake and active and give you wings. It is an organic acid that is also found in some meat products, for example. So is taurine of animal origin and therefore also responsible for the exploitation of animals?
In this article I want to show you whether taurine and energy drinks are vegan or not. And what you should look for when choosing your drinks! Let's go!
Is taurine vegan?
Taurine is an organic acid produced during metabolism by the breakdown of the amino acids cysteine and methionine. So our body makes them itselfso we don't need to take it in through our diet either. Taurine is found almost everywhere in our body, but especially in the eyes, heart, blood, brain and muscles.
The acid got its name from the animal from whose bile Friedrich Tiedemann and Leopold Gmelin first isolated taurine: the bull.₁ (lat. Taurus)
This would tend to suggest that taurine is not vegan. However, nowadays the acid is no longer produced from ox bile, but (almost) completely synthetically and thus also free of animal suffering. As a rule, taurine is vegan! So far so good.
Are energy drinks like Red Bull vegan?
Basically, it should be noted that the ingredients are almost always at least vegetarian, but usually even vegan. However, it cannot be said across the board that energy drinks are vegan. On the one hand, because they have many more ingredients than just taurine. On the other hand, the market is flooded with energy drinks! It is therefore necessary to take a closer look and get to know the corresponding brands.
Let's start with the best-known brand: Red Bull. On the company's own website, the "Q&A" question "Is Red Bull vegetarian?" is answered as follows:
Yes, Red Bull Energy Drink is suitable for vegetarians, because only ingredients of non-animal origin are used for Red Bull Energy Drink.₂
RedBull.com (Q&A, as of 11.05.2021)
Although the question may not be geared toward veganism, the ingredient information suggests that it is, that Red Bull is vegan. However, this does not preclude the Company from not participating in Animal testing which it already supported in 2007, for example.₃ The company has not yet taken a clear stance against animal testing.
These energy drinks are vegan (as of 11.05.2021)
Some energy drinks are enriched with fruit juices, which are clarified with gelatin become. Others contain animal dyes or are directly made on whey basis. It is therefore important to always look at the list of ingredients and the company information. However, I would like to list a few popular energy drinks that are also vegan according to the ingredient list as of today:
- Monster - Energy
- effect® aluminum slim can
- DOC Weingart REFOCUS
- acáo Pink Grapefruit
- Taiberg Drink - taiga root, pomegranate and grapefruit
- Rockstar original
- 28 BLACK
- Vegan Powergy
- My E.Bio
- Booster
In addition to the ingredients, however, you should always take a look at the respective positioning of the brands towards animal testing, so that you can drink the drinks with an absolutely clear conscience.
Attention: The energy drink "ROCKSTAR ZERO SUGAR" is (as of today) for example not vegan because it contains the colorant "real carmine". contains! It really is important to always look very carefully. At some point you will have internalized which energy drinks are vegan and which are not.
Energy drinks are usually vegan
The share of vegan energy drinks is steadily increasing.₄ But there are still a few "black sheep" in the herd. With the ingredient taurine, however, you do not have to worry as a rule, because it is produced synthetically.
I don't drink energy drinks, because I don't want to drink the Energy for everyday life elsewhere and wants to avoid the tin waste. In the end, however, this is a personal decision of each individual. I hope that I could help you with this post and give you the necessary information about vegan energy drinks.
Do you have any questions or suggestions? Or can you think of other animal-friendly energy drinks? As always, feel free to drop me a comment.
Stay sustainable and animal friendly,
PS: Taurine is a basically harmless substance that is also found in meat. However, there are also plenty of Contaminants in animal foodsYou should know these before you reach for meat, eggs and dairy products the next time! Learn more about it now in the linked article.
References:
₁ A. C. Sewell: Encyclopedia of Medical Laboratory Diagnostics, Taurine, p. 2263. Available at https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-662-48986-4_2970. [11.05.2021].
₂ Red Bull Deutschland GmbH: Any questions?, available at https://www.redbull.com/de-de/energydrink/ist-red-bull-energy-drink-fur-vegetarier-geeignet. [11.05.2021].
₃ C. Gericke: Statement on animal experiments supported by Red Bull (as of 05.03.2005), https://www.aerzte-gegen-tierversuche.de/de/tierversuche/stellungnahmen/82-stellungnahme-zu-den-von-red-bull-unterstuetzten-tierversuchen. [11.05.2021].
₄ J. Buech: German Energy Drinks Manufacturers Join Vegan Hype (Sept. 14, 2016), https://de.mintel.com/blog/getraenke/deutsche-energy-drinks-hersteller-schliessen-sich-vegan-hype-an. [11.05.2021].
