Is Cold Brew Energy Vanilla Vegan?

The Ingredient Breakdown

As a food scientist, I always look beyond the marketing claims and dive straight into the ingredient list. When analyzing Cold Brew Energy Vanilla, the verdict is clear regarding its vegan status. The primary issue lies in the dairy content.

The ingredients list explicitly includes cream and skim milk. These are standard dairy derivatives used to provide the smooth mouthfeel and vanilla flavor profile. While the product contains plant-derived additives like pectin (a thickener from fruit) and natural flavor, the presence of animal-derived milk products disqualifies it from being vegan.

It is also worth noting the inclusion of sucralose and sugar. While generally considered vegan, strict vegans sometimes avoid refined white sugar due to the bone char filtration process used by some manufacturers, though this is not explicitly flagged on the label. However, the milk and cream are the definitive deal-breakers here.

Nutritional Value

From a nutritional standpoint, Cold Brew Energy Vanilla is a fortified beverage. It packs a punch with added vitamins like niacinamide (B3), pyridoxine hydrochloride (B6), and riboflavin (B2). These are excellent for energy metabolism.

However, you should be mindful of the sweeteners. The product uses a combination of sugar and the artificial sweetener sucralose. This keeps the calorie count manageable compared to a full-sugar soda, but the caffeine content (derived from coffee, guarana, and ginseng) is potent. If you are sensitive to stimulants, this is a high-potency drink.