Is Juice Drink, Cran-Grape Vegan?

The Ingredient Breakdown

When analyzing the label of Juice Drink, Cran-Grape, the primary ingredients appear harmless: filtered water, grape juice from concentrate, cranberry juice from concentrate, and carrot juice from concentrate. However, the specific type of sweetener used is where the product runs into trouble. The ingredient list identifies the sweetener as cane or beef sugar.

The term "beef sugar" is a specific industry designation for sugar derived from bone char, a charcoal made from the bones of cattle. Bone char is used by some sugar refineries to filter and bleach cane sugar to achieve a pure white color. Because bone char is an animal by-product, sugar processed with it is not considered vegan. While not all cane sugar is processed this way, the explicit inclusion of "beef sugar" in the ingredients indicates that this product contains non-vegan sugar.

Other ingredients like fumaric acid, sodium citrate, and ascorbic acid are generally synthetic or derived from non-animal sources, making them vegan-friendly. The controversy rests almost entirely on the sweetener. For strict vegans, the presence of any animal-derived processing aid, such as bone char, renders the product non-vegan.

Nutritional Value

From a nutritional standpoint, Juice Drink, Cran-Grape is a source of Vitamin C due to the addition of ascorbic acid. However, it is important to note that this is a "juice drink," not 100% juice, meaning it is diluted with water and contains added sugars. The calorie count is generally lower than pure juice, but the sugar content remains high.

For those monitoring their sugar intake, this drink contributes to the daily limit but offers little in the way of fiber or protein. It fits within the limits of a standard diet as an occasional treat, but it is not a nutrient-dense beverage. The presence of added sugars, regardless of their source, means it should be consumed in moderation.