Is Now and Later Vegan?

Now and Later comes in three main product lines and only one of them is free of animal ingredients. The original hard chew squares contain no animal-derived ingredients and are widely considered accidentally vegan. The Chewy line adds egg white to the formula, making it not vegan. The Chewy Bites (candy-coated) version adds gelatin on top of that. So whether Now and Later is vegan depends entirely on which variety you pick up off the shelf.

None of the current varieties list wheat, barley, or rye in their ingredient panels, and the brand is widely cited as gluten free in ingredient-by-ingredient analysis. However, Now and Later carries no official gluten-free certification and is manufactured in facilities that may also handle gluten-containing products, so people with celiac disease should treat it as a shared-facility risk and check the label on each specific package.

No. Now and Later candies do not carry kosher certification in the United States. The packaging does not display a kosher symbol, and the brand has not been listed by major kosher certification bodies.

The Chewy, Splits, Extreme Sour, and Splits varieties all contain egg whites as a deliberate ingredient, so they are not safe for people avoiding eggs. The Original Mix and Morphs do not list egg as an ingredient, but they are produced by Ferrara Candy Company in facilities that process egg-containing products, so cross-contact cannot be ruled out for people with severe egg allergies.

The original hard-chew squares have historically been free of animal-derived ingredients. Older ingredient lists showed partially hydrogenated soybean oil where current labels show palm oil, but neither is animal-derived. The brand expanded into Chewy and Shell Shocked formats over time, and those newer formats introduced egg whites and gelatin, which is why the answer to the vegan question now depends on which variety you buy.

Now and Later is primarily a US brand with limited international retail presence. No documented reformulation for UK or EU markets has been reported, and the product is not widely sold in those regions under Ferrara distribution. If you encounter Now and Later outside the US, the ingredient label on the package is the only reliable source because import batches may vary.

The Chewy varieties, the ones most commonly sold today, contain egg white, and the candy-coated Chewy Bites add gelatin as well. Many people assume all Now and Laters are the same product.

Vegan options include Starburst Original Fruit Chews (gelatin-free in US formulation), Skittles Original (vegan-friendly fruit chews), Airheads (no egg or gelatin in standard bars), Swedish Fish (gelatin-free gummy chew).

Now and Later does not carry a third-party vegan certification, so the verdict here is based on its current ingredient list and manufacturer information.