There are a lot of rumors surrounding the ingredients in Monster Energy Drinks online and the company themselves don’t seem to be in any rush to confirm or deny them publicly. Some of the ingredients may not be as familiar as others. This is where the rumors start coming in.
The good news is Monster is vegan. So where does the confusion about Monster being vegan come from? Check out these healthier vegan energy drinks, or read on for more!
Monster Energy Drinks Ingredients
The ingredients in Monster are what you might expect to find in an energy drink.
- carbonated water
- sucrose
- glucose
- citric acid
- natural flavors
- taurine
- sodiu
- citrate
- color added
- panax ginseng root extract
- L-carnitine
- caffeine
- sorbic acid
- benzoic acid
- niacinamide
- sodium chloride
- glucuronolactone
- inositol
- guarana seed extract
- pyridoxine hydrochloride
- sucralose, riboflavin
- maltodextrin
- cyanocobalamin.
Of the entire list it is the taurine that is often thought of as being an animal bi-product and it is the focus of the previously mentioned rumors. According to the rumor taurine comes from bull semen. The rumor supports this by pointing out that Red Bull has taurine in it. It’s in the name so clearly taurine comes from bulls…right?
But in fact this isn’t true and taurine makes up 0.1% of the human body. It is commonly found in many animals. What the rumor completely neglects to mention is that there is a synthetic version of taurine. This synthetic version is what Monster uses.
Synthetic taurine is much cheaper for the company to use and it allows them to be free of any animal bi-products
L-carnitine, niacinamide, and riboflavin are also commonly found in meat, however it is more widely known that there are other, plant based sources for these as well and it is of less of a concern to consumers.
Carbonated water, sucrose, glucose, citric acid, natural flavors, sodium citrate, panax ginseng root extract, caffeine, sorbic acid, benzoic acid, sodium chloride, glucuronolactone, inositol, guarana seed extract, pyridoxine hydrochloride, maltodextrin; that is to say the majority of the ingredients in Monster come from natural, plant based sources.
Sucralose and cyanocobalamin are both synthetic.
That just leaves the mysterious “color added” from the ingredient list. Such a generic statement makes it impossible to track down where it comes from or what it even is.
How Do We Know Monster Is Vegan?
PETA lists Monster as one of their 5 energy drinks that you can trust to always be vegan. Additionally there are some on Reddit who have written to Monster to find out the truth once and for all. But there aren’t many other sources saying one way or the other. The breakdown of the ingredients above does have a question mark as well as four other ingredients which could be sourced from animal products. Despite the relative lack of evidence one way or the other and the reliability of PETA you can safely enjoy Monster.
Why Doesn't Monster Advertise Being Vegan?
Monster has a pretty strong branding in place. They target active lifestyles, music, and gamers with a bit of a hardcore edgy theme. The inclusion of fast cars and partly naked women reinforce the idea that Monster is a brand for real, manly men. If you want an idea of their branding just take a look at their website for the USA.
It is their branding that keeps them from advertising that their products are vegan. Vegan isn’t considered edgy or cool by the mainstream or their target audience. Their really strong branding is working well for them so it is unlikely you will see them advertising themselves as vegan. Are you vegan AF?