Junior Mints recently stopped using gelatin; however they have confirmed that their “confectioner’s glaze” is made with shellac, which is obtained from female lac bugs. It takes about 100,000 lac bugs to make 500 grams (1.1 lbs) of dried shellac. Zein, made from corn, is a common alternative to shellac and is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Please ask Tootsie Roll industries to switch to zein or another vegan form of confectioner’s glaze in Junior Mints!