Is Company gluten free cookies Vegan?

The Ingredient Breakdown

When evaluating a product for vegan suitability, we must look past the marketing claims and analyze the source material. The name "gluten free" only protects those with Celiac disease or gluten sensitivity; it says nothing about animal welfare or plant-based diets. Here is exactly why Company gluten free cookies fail the vegan test.

The primary offender is butter (milk). In the baking industry, butter is the gold standard for creating a tender crumb and rich flavor. However, it is a direct dairy product derived from cow's milk. For a cookie to be truly vegan, this would need to be replaced with plant-based fats like coconut oil, shea butter, or palm oil.

Equally problematic are the eggs. Eggs act as a binding agent in gluten-free baking, helping to hold the structure together since there is no gluten protein to do the job. Unfortunately, eggs are an animal byproduct. While some companies are moving toward flax eggs or aquafaba, Company has stuck with traditional poultry eggs in this recipe.

Finally, we must look at the sweeteners. While cane sugar is technically plant-derived, strict vegans often avoid it because some sugar refineries use bone char (charred animal bones) to filter and whiten the sugar. While not an explicit "flag" on the label like milk is, it is a nuance of the vegan diet that places these cookies in a gray area for the ultra-strict.

Nutritional Value

While these cookies are not vegan, they are still a food product with a specific nutritional profile. Because they lack gluten, the manufacturer relies on starches like corn starch and potato starch to create the bulk of the dough. These are refined carbohydrates that provide energy but very little fiber or nutritional density.

The fat content comes primarily from the butter. Saturated fats from dairy are present in significant amounts, contributing to the cookie's crisp texture but also increasing the calorie count. If you are monitoring your heart health or saturated fat intake, these cookies should be treated as an indulgence rather than a daily snack.

Regarding sugar, the use of cane sugar means these cookies have a high glycemic load. This can lead to rapid spikes in blood sugar followed by a crash. While they fit within the limits of a gluten-free diet, they do not offer any functional benefits for energy or satiety.