Here's Why Red Bull Is Not Vegan or Plant-Based.
Did you love Red Bull before ditching animal products? Then, you may be relieved to learn that all of the ingredients in this drink are from a non-animal source. However, if you're vegan for ethical reasons (as opposed to going plant-based for the environment), you may still want to avoid Red Bulls for other major reasons. Check them out below!
Red Bull Is NOT Cruelty-Free.
The ingredients used in Red Bull's formula are all either totally synthetic, plant-based, or naturally-occurring minerals. However, the development of this world-famous formula, and the company behind it, were far from cruelty-free. Red Bull is NOT against animal testing, and they instead actively support it.
This company "covers all administrative costs" for a charity called Wings for Life, which performs spinal cord injury experiments on sentient animals. While we believe no test performed on innocent beings is ethically acceptable (or scientifically sound), this charity insists that "it remains impossible to show the neurobiological complexity of a spinal cord injury - in a clinically relevant way - without in-vivo (in living organism) models."
While we understand that science has its limitations, animal tests have proven time and time again that the differences between species are too significant and lead to unreliable outcomes. That said, we view these methods as unscientific, unnecessary, and simply too cruel to justify.
The good new is, new methods are developed every year to replace these outdated, questionable experiments. Meanwhile, the promotion and justification of animal testing delays the development of these new experimental models. However, funding Wings for Life is not the only way Red Bull contributes to animal testing.
Red Bull also conducts tests on animals for the development of their own products, and uses artificial colors in its drinks. The problem with these colorants is, they are frequently tested on animals due to health concerns. And yet, so far, studies continually show that they're carcinogenic. Because of these reasons, we wouldn't consider Red Bull to be suitable for ethical vegans who wish to reduce animal suffering.
Most Of Its Ingredients are Synthetic.
Although synthetic ingredients are not a deal-breaker for ethical vegans, calling Red Bull 'plant-based' would be a stretch, since so many of its ingredients were synthesized in a lab. Labeling it this way could also be misleading to those who have adopted the diet for health reasons.
The synthetic ingredients found in Red Bull include citric acid, taurine, caffeine, niacinamide, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine HCl, vitamin B12, artificial flavors, and colors. These make up nine of the fourteen ingredients used to prepare this drink. We like to promote a whole foods, plant-based approach, as this is the only type of diet that has consistently and significantly shown to improve the health of those who go vegan.
Potential Health Concerns
While the extra sugar, caffeine, and sodium can already be harmful if consumed in excess, the main ingredient to worry about in Red Bull drinks is its artificial colors. These food dyes have often been found to be contaminated with carcinogenic substances. In addition, evidence has been found linking the colorants themselves to carcinogenicity, genotoxicity, and hypersensitivity.
Studies have also linked these colorants to hyperactivity, depression, and asthma in children. This is significant, considering the amount of processed 'kid-friendly' food products that are prepared with food dyes. Think mac and cheese, pastries, cereal, drinks, and more.
Natural, Vegan-Friendly Energy Drinks to Try!
If you're ready to let go of Red Bull and move on to bigger and better drinks, check out our gallery below! We've rounded up some of the top cruelty and artificial colorant-free, vegan-friendly, and all-natural energy drinks available!