Are Ritz Crackers Vegan?
While much of Ritz cracker’s selection can be considered vegan, as they contain no animal derivatives, most do contain tricky ingredients that would not pass the test for many vegans. These include sugar, palm oil, natural flavor, and lactic acid. Keep reading and find out why these ingredients are not totally ethical or animal-friendly.
Iffy Ingredients in Ritz Crackers
While most Ritz crackers can be considered vegan by its basic standards—they contain no animal ingredients—this does not mean they are the best choice to protect our animal friends. Why? Most contain the following ingredients, which you may or may not be willing to support:
Sugar: While most refined sugar around the world is 100% vegan, in the U.S. a large chunk of the sugar supply is still bleached using animal bone char. In these cases, animal cruelty was involved in its manufacturing process. However, as we have no way of knowing from where each brand sources their sugar (they could also have multiple suppliers), vegans tend to give products containing this ingredient (AKA, most processed foods) a pass.
Palm Oil: Although this ingredient is not processed using animal derivatives and does not contain animal ingredients, its production does lead to animal suffering, and environmental destruction. The palm oil industry is responsible for a huge amount of deforestation and habitat loss. It is also currently contributing to the climate crisis.
Natural Flavor: This ingredient causes major frustration for most vegans. It’s essentially a cover-up for up to 100 different naturally-derived plant or animal-based flavorings, and thousands of chemicals that the FDA deems ‘natural’. So, we have no way of knowing whether this ingredient is vegan or not, unless the brand clarifies this for us.
Lactic Acid: Although not always derived from milk, as the name would suggest, it is a possibility unless clarified by the brand. Learn more about lactic acid here!
Likely Vegan Flavors/Varieties of Ritz Crackers
Ritz Originals The Original (Contains sugar, palm oil, and natural flavor)
Ritz Originals Roasted Vegetable (Contains palm oil, sugar, and lactic acid)
Ritz Originals Garlic Butter (Contains palm oil, sugar, and natural flavor)
Ritz Originals Reduced Fat (Contains sugar, palm oil, and natural flavor)
Ritz Originals Hint of Salt (Contains palm oil and sugar)
Ritz Originals Whole Wheat (May contain palm oil, contains sugar)
Ritz Originals Everything (Contains palm oil and sugar)
Ritz Crisp & Thins Salt & Vinegar (Contains sugar and natural flavor)
Ritz Crisp & Thins Barbecue (Contains sugar and natural flavor)
Ritz Crisp & Thins Tabasco Pepper Sauce Flavor (Contains sugar and natural flavor)
Ritz Toasted Chips Multigrain (Contains sugar)
Ritz Toasted Chips Toasted Pita
Ritz Cracker Sandwiches Peanut Butter (Contains sugar and palm oil)
Ritz Seasonals Snowflake (Contains palm oil, sugar, and natural flavor)