Fiona is the editor of Plantpuree, a website that celebrates vegan living. With over 20 years in diet & fitness, fashion, and beauty, she brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective to her work and writing on veganism.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
When it comes to veganism, there are a lot of things to take into consideration. One of the most common questions people have is whether or not a specific food is vegan. In some cases, it’s straightforward and the answer is obvious. But in other cases, things can get a bit more complicated. This is definitely the case when it comes to Maple Cheerios. Some claim that it is a vegan cereal while others say it’s not. So what’s the truth? Let’s take a closer look at this popular cereal to find out.
Table of Contents
Are Maple Cheerios Vegan?
In a nutshell no. Maple Cheerios are not suitable for vegans because they include or rely on animal-derived components such as lanolin and bone char. Lanolin, derived from sheep sebaceous glands, is used to make Vitamin D3 and Maple Cheerios’ refined sugar is prepared using cattle bone char.
What are Maple Cheerios?
Maple Cheerios is a popular breakfast cereal made by General Mills. The cereal is made from ground oats, sugar, oat bran and maple syrup which is puffed and baked.
In the US, the Cheerios brand offers 18 different varieties – all varying in ingredients and nutritional content but none of which are vegan.
Maple Cheerios Ingredients
General Mills, the manufacturer of Maple Cheerios, currently list their main ingredients as:
Whole Grain Oats
Sugar
Brown Sugar Syrup
Corn Starch
Maple Syrup
Oat Bran
Salt
Canola Oil
Tripotassium Phosphate
Natural Flavor
Tocopherols (Vitamin E for preservatives)
Vitamins & Minerals: Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Zinc, Vitamin C, Niacinamide, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B1, Vitamin A, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3.
What Are The Non Vegan Ingredients In Maple Cheerios?
There are two non-vegan ingredients in Maple Cheerios: Vitamin D and refined sugar.
Vitamin D3
Vitamin D3 is a vitamin that is important for bone health. It can be found in fortified foods or supplements, and it can also be produced by the body when exposed to sunlight. Vitamin D is commercially made from lanolin. Lanolin is a waxy substance derived from sheep’s wool. Given vitamin D is derived from an animal source, this means that breakfast cereals fortified with this are not vegan, however they are suitable for vegetarians. 1
Sugar
The problem with sugar is because of its processing, not the actual ingredient itself. Sugar Cane is processed using bone char, which is made from animal bones heated at high temperatures. Bone char is widely used commercially to filter and whiten sugar. Although the sugar itself doesn’t contain fragments of bone – it’s the number of animals that are used to produce the bone char which is an issue. 2
Maple Cheerios Nutritional Information
Serving Size: 36g
Calories: 140
| USA | 36g Serving |
| ENERGY | 140kcal |
| TOTAL FAT | 2.0g |
| Of which saturates | 0.0g |
| TOTAL CARBOHYDRATES | 29g |
| Of which 11g are added sugars | |
| SUGAR | 11g |
| FIBRE | 3g |
| PROTEIN | 3g |
| SALT | 170mg |
Vegan Maple Cereal Alternatives
Some vegan certified popular options which are great vegan alternatives to Maple Cheerios include:
Nature Path Foods Maple Sunrise Cereal
Ingredients: Whole grain corn meal, raw cane sugar, brown rice flour, corn meal, yellow corn flour, inulin, quinoa puffs, maple syrup (2.8%), flaxseed (1.6%), natural maple flavour, buckwheat flour, quinoa , sea salt, amaranth, molasses, antioxidant: tocopherol-rich extract. Organic. May contain traces of peanuts, tree nuts or soy.
Whole Earth Maple Frosted Flakes
Ingredients: Corn (72%), Maple Syrup (14%), Raw Cane Sugar* Salt+, emulsifier: sunflower lecithin
Oat Pantry Maple & Pecan Pie Porridge
Ingredients: Gluten free porridge oats, Pecans (12%), Coconut sugar, Natural Maple Flavouring (3%)
Contact Cheerios to ask for Vegan Maple Cheerio Options
If you’re a fan of Cheerios but are looking for a vegan option, the best thing to do is to contact the company and let them know of your interest. You can find General Mills’ contact information here
https://contactus.generalmills.com
Or email the Board of Directors directly at boardofdirectors@genmills.com
Final Thoughts
For individuals who wish to avoid animal-based substances in their Maple Cheerios, genuine vegan options are not available from General Mills in the Cheerio range.
If you’re one of these people, please contact General Mills and express your dissatisfaction with the dearth of genuinely vegan options. Let them know that as a consumer, you would find it beneficial if they increased the number of vegan-friendly goods available. After all, the greater we communicate about our beliefs, the more likely we are to make progress!
Frequently Asked Questions
At present, Monash University has not certified any variety of Cheerios as Low FODMAP. This means that we cannot be certain that they are suitable for people following a low FODMAP diet.
No – because of the risk of cross-contamination during processing. Although General Mills labels Cheerios as Gluten Free – the Canadian Celiac Association recommend that Celiac sufferers do not consume Cheerios. 3
According to Nestle (who are General Mills partners in Europe), Multigrain Cheerios are currently not listed as dairy free. 4
Related Guides
Vegan Budget Meals: How to Make a Plant-Based Diet More Affordable
Sources: ‘Are Maple Cheerios Vegan?’
(1) https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/
(2) https://www.vrg.org/journal/
