Is Simple Truth Veggie Straws Hot Cheddar Vegan?

The Ingredient Breakdown

As a food scientist, I often see products marketed as plant-based that hide animal derivatives in their flavor systems. The Simple Truth Veggie Straws Hot Cheddar variety is a prime example of this. While the base of the product—Potato Starch and Potato Flour—is plant-derived, the flavor profile relies heavily on dairy.

The most obvious culprits are listed right in the ingredients: Cheddar Cheese (which is explicitly milk, salt, cultures, and enzymes), Whey, Nonfat Dry Milk, and Buttermilk Powder. Whey is a byproduct of cheese manufacturing, and buttermilk is a dairy liquid. Even the fat source is suspect; while Vegetable Oil is listed, the ingredient Butter (Cream) is added, which is an animal fat.

Furthermore, the 'Hot' aspect likely comes from natural flavors and extracts, but the 'Cheddar' aspect is undeniably non-vegan. Even ingredients like Whey Protein Concentrate ensure that this snack is firmly in the dairy category. There is no plant-based cheese substitute used here; it is actual dairy cheese powder.

Nutritional Value

From a nutritional standpoint, these veggie straws are essentially a fried starch snack. The calorie density is moderate, but the sodium content is significant due to the salt in the cheese and the added salt for flavor. Because they contain Nonfat Dry Milk and Whey, they provide a small amount of protein, but it is negligible compared to the carbohydrate load from the potato starch.

The sugar content includes Dextrose and Cane Sugar, which are added to balance the savory and spicy flavors. While they are marketed as a 'veggie' snack implying health, they should be treated as an indulgent treat rather than a nutrient-dense vegetable source. The presence of Vegetable Oil means the fat content is entirely from processing oils, which fits a standard Western diet limit but adds empty calories.