Fair trade vegan snacks guide
At Rosette Fair Trade, vegan snacks are important to us!
I mean, all snacks are important to us, to be honest. Snacks are a very important part of life! But those among us who are avoiding animal products, whether it be due to sensitivities or for ethical reasons, tend to have an especially tough time finding appropriate munchies.
So today we’re going to talk about fair trade vegan snacks, many of which you can probably find in your local health food store.
And without further ado, let’s get into the snacks!
Fair trade & vegan snacks at a glance
Because fair trade and veganism share a concern with ethical consumer decisions and sustainability, there is actually quite a bit of overlap! Finding both fair trade and vegan snacks is easier than ever before!
That being said, products that are fair trade are not necessarily vegan, and vegan products are not necessarily fair trade, either. Take this white chocolate from Just Us! as an example. It’s fair trade—and absolutely delicious, make no mistake about it—but it’s got dairy in it. So if you’re avoiding dairy, it’s definitely not the right choice for you.
On the other hand, when you come across foods that you would think are easy to make vegan, you’re going to be able to expect that they’re vegan in most cases. There are tons of vegan snacks that might contain animal products from other brands. You may have had that frustrating experience of checking the ingredients on a dark chocolate bar, for example, and finding that there’s milk in it. Which just begs the question: WHY??
Because of the natural connections between fair trade and vegan, products will typically do away with animal products wherever possible. And that’s great news for fair trade, vegan snacks!
Types of fair trade & vegan snacks
The most common type of fair trade, vegan snacks you’ll find is chocolate. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t more and more options now! In this section, we’ll go through the various categories of snacks available in Canada that are both fair trade and vegan.
Dried fruit
One of the most overlooked treasures in terms of fair trade, vegan snacks is dried fruit. This may sound boring, but these are not your typical munchies. Level Ground Trading offers a variety of dried fruit, ranging from candy-sweet pineapple to tart ground cherries. And the best part is that they’re dried completely naturally, without any additives, and certified organic. So if you’re looking to reduce your intake of preservatives, processed sugars or pesticides, you can easily do that with these fruits!
In terms of availability, you can grab dried fruit from the Level Ground online store. And if you have a local health food store that carries lots of organic and fair trade products, they might have it as well.
Cereal
Yep, that’s right! You can now get delicious, fair trade, vegan granola! Nature’s Path (Love Crunch) granola is a real treat! You can grab it in the Nature’s Path online store linked above, or you may be able to find it at some local health food stores.
Our fave is the macaroon variety! With huge chunks of dark chocolate and coconut in every bite, this is one of the most decadent fair trade, vegan snacks you could imagine. And with a little of your favourite non-dairy milk, it’s a great, hearty breakfast with an indulgent twist!
Chocolate bark snacks
If you don’t know Prana’s snacks, you’re seriously missing out. They have a whole line of chocolate barks with nuts, fruit, grains and more. And all of it’s vegan! Yes, even the “milk” chocolate one is dairy-free! What’s more, they’re incredibly tasty. Like, seriously addicting. A true treat for vegans!
Watch out, though: Prana’s dried fruits aren’t fair trade like Level Ground’s, so it’s even more impactful to stick to Level Ground for your dried fruits!
Chocolate
You knew I had to include good, old-fashioned chocolate in this list!
The classic fair trade snack: chocolate. And thankfully, many chocolate brands are now catching on that there’s a huge overlap between vegans and people who care about ethical consumption in general. What does that leave us with? Tons of yummy, fair trade, vegan chocolate treats!
For your basics, there’s the Camino range, one of the most recognized brands in Canada. But if you want to get even more decadent, check out Endangered Species’ oat milk-based bars, which are always crowd-pleasers! Look for them in the organic aisle of your favourite stores.
Fair trade, vegan snacks you can make yourself
Now, maybe this goes without saying, but one of the best ways to make sure that your vegan treats are also fair trade-friendly is to make them at home. It’s easier than ever now, with Camino putting out a whole line of baking ingredients, and Cha’s Organics providing us with the loveliest fair trade spices. If you’re not sure where to start, you could try our vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe or vegan coconut granola recipe. Both are simple and chock full of fair trade goodness!
And whether you’re buying or making your fair trade, vegan snacks, rest assured that the producers will thank you. 🙂
In solidarity,
Lia
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