Is Gatorade Vegan?

Vegan Questions

Jan 7

Most Gatorade drinks disclose solely animal-free ingredients. However, some of these ingredients could still be considered questionable to most vegans. Keep reading to find out which you should watch out for when shopping for your favorite sports drink!

Ingredients found in Gatorade drinks:

Lemon-Lime Endurance Formula

“Water, sugar, maltodextrin, fructose, citric acid, sodium citrate, monopotassium phosphate, salt, natural flavor, calcium lactate, ascorbic acid (to protect flavor), magnesium oxide, beta carotene (color).”

Fruit Punch Thirst Quencher

“Water, sugar ,dextrose, citric acid, salt, sodium citrate, monopotassium phosphate, modified food starch, natural flavor, glycerol ester of rosin, red 40, caramel color.”

Chocolate Recover Protein Shake

“Water, maltodextrin, milk protein concentrate, sugar, dextrose, cocoa (processed with alkali), natural and artificial flavor, potassium phosphate, cellulose gel, salt, whey protein concentrate, cellulose gum, carrageenan, sucralose.”

Cherry Lime Bolt 24

“Water, sugar, clarified watermelon juice concentrate, citric acid, natural flavor, sea salts, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), caffeine, purified stevia leaf extract, lycopene (color), niacinamide (vitamin B3), beta carotene (vitamin A), calcium pantothenate (vitamin B5), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6).”

Questionable Ingredients Found in Gatorade Drinks

Of these ingredients, here are a few that could have potentially been processed with, or contain, some sort of animal derivative:

Sugar: Most sugar produced around the world is refined using granular carbon or plant seeds. However, in the U.S. it is still often refined with animal bone char. This means, products containing sugar produced in the U.S. may or may not be vegan.
Natural Flavor: This mysterious ingredient could refer to hundreds of different substances found in nature, derived from animal or plant sources. Gatorade says their natural flavors are obtained from “essences or extracts of substances found in nature such as spices, fruits, fruit juices, vegetables, or herbs.” However, this does not necessarily mean the ingredient is limited to these plant sources.
Calcium Lactate: Calcium lactate is a combination of calcium carbonate and lactic acid. Although it’s not always the case, manmade lactic acid could be derived from a meat or dairy source.
Artificial Colors: Manmade colors like red 40 are frequently tested on animals to ensure their safety for human consumption.
Milk Protein Concentrate: A concentrated form of casein and whey, milk protein concentrate is derived from dairy milk proteins.
Whey Protein Concentrate: This ingredient is a dairy derivative.
Calcium Pantothenate: Also known as vitamin B5, this ingredient could be derived from plant or animal sources like meat and egg yolks.
Pyridoxine Hydrochloride: The chemical name for vitamin B6, pyridoxine hydrochloride can be obtained from plant sources, or from eggs, meats, or fish.

Most of these ingredients are not 100% non-vegan, but we cannot ensure they are vegan-friendly, either. So, use this information as you will, taking into account that veganism should always be accessible to you. If you are an athlete who does not currently have access to a Gatorade alternative, there is no reason you should avoid them because of these ambiguous ingredients. However, if you do have the means to go for a certified vegan alternative, this could be a better option for the animals.