Hand-crafted in copper kettles, these coconut milk caramels are enrobed in organic dark chocolate.

Candy may not be the first thing people think of when they consider living as a vegan, but that doesn’t mean it’s not relevant. With ingredients like milk and gelatin, confections can be filled with animal products.

Las Vegas-based Hexx Chocolate has made its line of small-batch, single-origin, bean-to-bar dark chocolate Non-GMO Project Verified and Vegan certified. 

Thanks to the abundance of health and wellness information available online — and food manufacturers’ efforts to increase ingredient transparency — consumers have the opportunity to make individualized decisions about their diets and overall health.

Interest in plant-based diets continues to sprout, giving food manufacturers and retailers a chance to cultivate shopper engagement and grow sales, Chicago-based research firm IRI says.