Fruit shaped gummy bears

July 20, 2009

These lovely jewels come in a box covered with photos of fruit. You will probably be surprised by the ingredient list of this type of product:

Corn Syrup, Sugar, Fruit Juice from Concentrate (Pear, Apple), Gelatin, Sorbitol, Malic Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Sodium Citrate, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Mineral Oil (Adds a Dietarily Insignificant Amount of Fat), Corn Oil (Adds a Dietarily Insignificant Amount of Fat), Tocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E), Carnauba Wax (Adds a Dietarily Insignificant Amount of Fat), Vitamin A Palmitate, Red 40, Blue 1, Yellow 6, Yellow 5

These "fruit" snacks are ubiquitous in grocery stores. There are drawings of Strawberry Shortcake, Scooby Doo, and Spiderman on the box.

Should you feed them to your kids? Sure! Just be aware that they aren't a healthy snack.

These are a great reward for something well done - but try to avoid these for an everyday afternoon snack. Eat real fruit like Banana, Pear or Strawberries Prevent Cancer.

The packaging will say things like "All Natural" and "100% daily allowance of Vitamin C" - but do not be fooled! These fruit snacks are essentially Gummy Bears with added Vitamin C.

As a consumer, you have to be very careful about what you are buying. Just because it says "fruit" doesn't mean it is fruit. There are snacks that are made with real fruit, and you have to read the label to determine what is actually in them.

Want more like this?
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