Are Percy Pigs Vegan? The M&S Sweets Breakdown
Percy Pigs are one of the most iconic sweet brands in the UK, and the vegan status of the range is genuinely confusing. Some Percy Pig products are vegan and some are not — and you cannot tell just by looking at the packet colour.
The short answer
M&S reformulated the original Percy Pigs to remove gelatine in 2022, making the standard product suitable for vegans. However, not all Percy Pig products followed suit, and the range is large enough that you need to check each one.
Percy Pig products that ARE vegan
- Percy Pigs (original bag) — the standard gummy pigs. Reformulated to be vegan in 2022, removing pork gelatine and beeswax.
- Percy Pigs Veggie (green bag) — specifically marketed as vegetarian/vegan. These were the first gelatine-free version.
- Percy Pig Phizzy Pigtails — the fizzy version, also vegan.
Percy Pig products to CHECK
- Percy Pig & Pals — the mixed bag. Check the specific product as some contain beeswax (E901) as a glazing agent.
- Percy Piglet — smaller percy pigs, check for beeswax.
- Percy Pig birthday cake, ice cream, and other spin-off products — these often contain dairy (milk chocolate, cream, butter) and are NOT vegan. The Percy Pig brand extends to many non-sweet products that use dairy.
- Percy Pig Christmas and seasonal specials — check each product individually as seasonal items often have different ingredients.
The beeswax question
Beeswax (E901) is used as a glazing agent to give sweets a shiny coating. Whether beeswax is vegan is debated in the vegan community — it is an animal product (produced by bees), so most vegans avoid it. Some Percy Pig products use beeswax while others use plant-based glazing agents like carnauba wax. Always check the ingredients list.
How to check quickly
In the M&S aisle, flip the bag over and look for the ingredients list. The key things to look for are:
- Gelatine / gelatin — animal-derived, not vegan.
- Beeswax / E901 — animal-derived, not vegan.
- Carmine / E120 — red dye from insects, not vegan.
- Shellac / E904 — insect secretion used as glaze, not vegan.
Or just scan the barcode with Is It Vegan? and we will check all of these for you instantly.
Vegan alternatives to Percy Pigs
If you want sweets that are always vegan without needing to check:
- Candy Kittens — gourmet vegan sweets, several flavours, widely available.
- Biona Organic Gummy Bears — gelatine-free, organic.
- Skittles — vegan since 2015 in the UK.
Want to check a specific product? Scan the barcode or search by name — we check every ingredient instantly.
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