M&S Percy Pigs Are Now 100% Veggie, And People Can't Agree If That's A Good Thing

Turns out gelatine has a fanbase.
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Who knew 2019 would be the year everyone would fight for their right to eat gelatine?

Like the Colin the Caterpillar birthday cake and G&T in a can, Marks & Spencer’s Percy Pig sweets are a staple of British food culture. The pig-faced chewy gums (flavoured with raspberry, strawberry and cherry) have been in stores since 1992, and hit their peak in the late noughties when they made the business £10,000,000 in sales in the last six months of 2009 alone.

A Percy Pig appreciation society on Facebook has also gathered 250,000 members. Proving one thing – Brits are really serious about their sugar.

But M&S is now facing criticism after switching up its Percy Pig recipe to be 100% animal-free.

The sweets were previously available in two versions: a vegetarian one and one with gelatine (which, for those in the dark, is derived from animal skin, bones and cartilage).

But not anymore. Now, M&S is only selling the veggie (or gelatine-free option) so there is no animal trace in the piggies at all.

“Rest assured,” the supermarket says. “We’ve tested the new recipe thoroughly to make sure he’s as close to the original as possible and we have haven’t changed any of the really important things that people love about Percy.”

But the change hasn’t gone unnoticed by some who say the taste is totally different and so “awful” they won’t be buying Percy Pigs again.

@marksandspencer Hi! We have LOVED percy pigs for years. However, we bought a pack recently and myself and my children strongly disliked the taste and we didn't eat them. I assumed it was just a bad batch but it happened again. So when I was in the store today ... (1)

— Amy (@amywills90) April 22, 2019

I’ve read that you’ve changed them to please vegans and vegetarians, and honestly they’re disgusting. Can’t you just have a seperate bag for vegans and vegetarians and keep the original Percy pigs that include gelatine in different packaging, so everyone can enjoy them

— Lily Chadwick (@lilychadwickx) April 11, 2019

Same here, bought two packs today as I’d given them up for Lent.... awful, these are the same recipe as the Christmas pigs and I gave them ones away.... mine are going to be returned.. no notice on the pack that you’d changed the recipe!

— Julie Birtley (@JulieBirtley) April 26, 2019

Despite the criticism from some customers, others have said the change in taste is barely noticeable and people are getting upset over nothing.

Oh, and re. Percy Pigs: The texture is *slightly* different (not unpleasantly so) but they basically taste exactly the same. A lot of silly fuss over nothing.

— Chris Schilling (@schillingc) May 1, 2019

ok but im not even vegan or even a real vegetarian but percy pigs taste no fucking different between the two versions except maayyybe the veg ones are very slightly less "foamy" ... i prefer the veg ones bc theyve got green ears ... bonus no animal content. gammon please stop

— ◤ cursebot, agent of fen'harel (@arlathansgrace) May 1, 2019

Some people have even said that they prefer the veggie option.

The veggie ones are SO MUCH YUMMIER! < it’s a word.

— Lesley McCabe (@lesleymccabeFM) May 1, 2019

i’m sorry but vegetarian percy pigs have always been superior and the fact that they’re all veggie now is the best news i’ve heard all week

— lau x (@laurenblss) May 1, 2019

I don’t get what the problem is? Percy Pigs are the best and now more people will get to enjoy them!

— Robert (@thatRobster) May 1, 2019

And others are just confused about why anyone would defend their right to eat gelatine so much.

lol god forbid the meat eaters can’t get their gelatin fix! They’ll legit kick off about anything! I mean to my mind it’s a good thing they now aren’t munching on connective tissues 🤷🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️but they moan about everything progressive to change.

— Lottie Mills 🏴🇬🇧🙃🌱🐝 ☽ (@Roseville_Girl) May 1, 2019

Old people:

2018: Millennials are snowflakes who think that they deserve things just because they want them.

2019: Having a tantrum because M&S stopped putting gelatin in Percy Pigs.

— Chris Brosnahan (@ChrisBrosnahan) May 1, 2019

"M&S ruining Percy Pigs" "meat eaters boycotting Gregg's" can someone please explain to me how vegans got the "extreme" label??

— Deirdre 🌿 (@deelikestotweet) May 1, 2019

So is it really a problem or are people just making something out of nothing?

HuffPost UK has contacted Marks & Spencer for a comment and this article will be updated with a response.

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