My Pug Wants To Know If Twizzlers Are Vegan

I’ve been trying to eat healthy since the beginning of the transition, but I’m starting to realize there are a few comfort foods that my pug and I are going to miss over the next year.

For example, Loki is just nuts about strawberry Twizzlers, has been since he was a puppy.  They aren’t even safe in the house; I have to keep the bag in a Tupperware or Rubbermaid container on a high shelf with a lip (because the cat will knock it off the shelf just to see the dog get in trouble if he can get into it).  In fact, when I have to go out of town without him (which makes me really sad  ), I actually buy him his own bag of Twizzlers and take the time to cut up treats for him and put them into a ziploc baggie to leave with whoever he is staying with.

Now, I had cut way back on the Twizzlers because I’m watching my weight but they are still one of my special comfort foods in times of work stress, when I feel really ill, or whenever I have to travel (particularly via airplane).  I don’t really care much for other kinds of licorice either, just the strawberry Twizzlers and only in those 1 pound family size bags.  It has something to do with the texture and the flavor.  The vending machine size Twizzlers  are physically smaller and don’t feel right when I bite them.  (See, I’ve put a lot of thought into this.)  The Red Vine licorice that everyone else seems to like is too thick and a little too sweet for my tastes, though Loki doesn’t seem to mind, but I’ve caught him eating plastic bits, grass, and things you’d rather not know about; so his tastes aren’t that discerning. 

Anyway, I googled “vegan Twizzlers” hoping to discover if Twizzlers were vegan or not, but I’m only more confused.There seems to be a lot of disagreement on the subject.   There are a number of websites that indicate that Twizzlers are indeed vegan and use Peta’s  I Can’t Believe It’s Vegan! >> Snacks page as the source for this information; the only problem is that even though that website and page come up as Google’s first link, Twizzlers isn’t mentioned anywhere on it.  There were other websites that mention that Twizzlers contain glycerin and thus cannot be vegan; however, my Twizzler package does not contain that ingredient, thus confusing me further.

I really wish there was a less confusing way to figure this all out.

Oh, and Loki also wants to know if there is a vegan substitute for nacho cheese Doritoes.