Fruit Roll-Ups

Last updated
A Fruit Roll-Up Betty Crocker Fruit Roll-Ups.jpg
A Fruit Roll-Up

Fruit Roll-Ups is a brand of snack that debuted in grocery stores across America in 1983. [1] It is a flat, corn syrup-based, fruit-flavored snack rolled into a tube, spread on a backing sheet of cellophane to prevent the product from sticking to itself.

Contents

Fruit Roll-Ups are manufactured by General Mills and distributed under the Betty Crocker brand in the American market and under the Uncle Tobys brand in Australia. Several similar products have been marketed by General Mills and by other companies such as Kellanova, which produces them notably under the Kellogg's brand in the UK as Fruit Winders.

Advertising

Fruit Corners Fruit Roll-Ups were heavily marketed on television in America throughout the early 1980s. Most spots featured the tag line "Fruit Corners Fruit Roll-Ups: Real fruit and fun, rolled up in one." Later spots featured children innovating in the "Fruit Roll-Up Fun Factory".

The overall marketing theme is that parents can feed their children "fun" processed foods that are based on real fruit. [2] Studies of American mothers have shown that the mothers are surprised at how sweet Fruit Roll-Ups are and how little fruit is present in them. For example, the strawberry flavor contains no strawberries, and the only ingredient derived from fruit is concentrated pear juice. [2]

History

General Mills' research for the product began in 1975. [3]

Joray Fruit Rolls are a round, fruit leather product from New York that predates Fruit Roll-Ups. Fruit Roll-Ups have a more rubbery texture than the natural rolls and though were originally round in shape, they are now shaped like a parallelogram.

Fruit Roll-Ups have featured variants on the original plain sheets such as punch out shapes on the rolls and temporary tattoos for tongues and formerly on skin.

Betty Crocker sells Fruit Roll-Ups in single-flavor boxes and flavor variety packs.

Ingredients

Fruit Roll-Ups (strawberry flavor)
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 1,562 kJ (373 kcal)
85.2 g
Sugars 38.7 g
Fat
3.5 g
0.1 g
Other constituentsQuantity
Water10.2 g
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults. [4]

The main ingredient is sugar, and Fruit Roll-Ups contain five different types of sugar: sugar from pear juice concentrate, corn syrup, dried corn syrup, sugar, and a small amount of dextrose. [2] They also contain small amounts of partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, citric acid, sodium citrate, acetylated monoglycerides, fruit pectin, malic acid, ascorbic acid, natural flavors, and artificial colors.

Lawsuit over health claims

In 2011, the Center for Science in the Public Interest sued General Mills over Fruit Roll-Ups, saying that their packaging and marketing was misleading because it presented the product as a nutritious, healthful, fruit-filled snack, despite having approximately the same nutritional profile as gummy bear candies. [2] The lawsuit was settled out of court with General Mills agreeing not to put pictures of fruits on the labels, unless that fruit was actually present in that flavor of the Fruit Roll-Up, and to either stop claiming that the product is "made with real fruit", or to include in that potentially misleading statement the percentage of the Fruit Roll-Up that is made from real fruit. [5] These changes took place in 2014.

More recently, someone posted a video online of themselves wrapping a spoonful of ice cream in a Fruit Roll-Up and eating it with a crunch. [6]

This started a trend which went viral in Israel leading to a shortage of rollups, and even spawning a black market. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Mills</span> American multinational food corporation

General Mills, Inc., is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, the company originally gained fame for being a large flour miller. Today, the company markets many well-known North American brands, including Gold Medal flour, Annie's Homegrown, Lärabar, Cascadian Farm, Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Nature Valley, Totino's, Pillsbury, Old El Paso, Häagen-Dazs, as well as breakfast cereals under the General Mills name, including Cheerios, Wheaties, Chex, Lucky Charms, Trix, Cocoa Puffs and Count Chocula and the other monster cereals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squash (drink)</span> Non-alcoholic concentrated syrup

Squash, is a non-alcoholic beverage with concentrated syrup used in beverage making. It is usually fruit-flavoured, made from fruit juice, water, and sugar or a sugar substitute. Modern squashes may also contain food colouring and additional flavouring. Some traditional squashes contain herbal extracts, most notably elderflower and ginger.

Jones Soda Co. is a beverage company based in Seattle, Washington, United States. It bottles and distributes soft drinks, non-carbonated beverages, energy drinks, and candy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mentos</span> Brand of mints

Mentos are a brand of packaged scotch mints or mint-flavored candies sold in many stores and vending machines. First produced in 1932, they are currently sold in more than 130 countries worldwide by the Italian-Dutch corporation Perfetti Van Melle. The mints are small oblate spheroids, with a slightly hard exterior and a soft, chewy interior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special K</span> WK Kellogg Co brand of cereal

Special K is an American brand of breakfast cereal and meal bars originally manufactured by Kellogg's. The cereal was introduced to the United States in 1955. It is made primarily from grains such as lightly toasted rice, wheat and barley. Special K used to be marketed primarily as a low-fat cereal that can be eaten to help one lose weight. Following the 2023 spinoff of Kellogg's North American cereal division, the cereal is manufactured by WK Kellogg Co for the United States, Canada, and Caribbean markets. The former Kellogg's, renamed Kellanova, continues to manufacture the cereal for the rest of the world and the meal bars for all markets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheerios</span> Breakfast cereal made by General Mills

Cheerios is a brand of cereal manufactured by General Mills in the United States and Canada, consisting of pulverized oats in the shape of a solid torus. In some countries, including the United Kingdom, Cheerios is marketed by Cereal Partners under the Nestlé brand; in Australia and New Zealand, Cheerios is sold as an Uncle Tobys product. It was first manufactured in 1941 as CheeriOats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minute Maid</span> American beverage company

Minute Maid is an American product line of beverages, usually associated with lemonade or orange juice, but which now extends to soft drinks of different kinds, including Hi-C. Minute Maid is sold under the Cappy brand in Central Europe and under the brand "Моя Семья" in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Minute Maid was the first company to market frozen orange juice concentrate, allowing it to be distributed throughout the United States and served year-round. The Minute Maid Company is owned by The Coca-Cola Company, the world's largest marketer of fruit juices and drinks. The firm opened its headquarters in Sugar Land Town Square in Sugar Land, Texas, United States, on February 16, 2009; previously it was headquartered in the 2000 St. James Place building in Houston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SunnyD</span> Orange-flavored beverage

SunnyD is an orange drink developed in 1963 by Doric Foods of Mount Dora, Florida, United States. Additional plants were built in California and Ohio in 1974 and 1978, respectively. In April 1983, Sundor Brands bought out Doric Foods; Sundor Brands was then purchased by American multinational Procter & Gamble in March 1989. The drink is superficially related to orange juice, but also resembles a soft drink without carbonation.

Post Consumer Brands is an American consumer packaged goods food manufacturer headquartered in Lakeville, Minnesota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uncle Tobys</span> Australian food manufacturing company

Uncle Tobys is an Australian food manufacturing company which specialises in breakfast oat products. Since its foundation in 1861, the company has expanded its product range across the cereal and ready-to-eat snack market. Uncle Tobys is currently operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Nestlé, after being acquired in 2006. Uncle Tobys’ main factory is situated in the town of Wahgunyah, Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot Tamales</span> Cinnamon-flavored candy

Hot Tamales is an American brand of cinnamon-flavored candies introduced in 1950 manufactured and marketed by the Just Born company. They were developed by Bob Born, son of Sam Born, the company's founder. The name derives from the sometimes spicy flavor of tamales. It was the top-selling cinnamon candy in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honey Bunches of Oats</span> Breakfast cereal made by Post

Honey Bunches of Oats is a breakfast cereal owned by Post Holdings and produced by its subsidiary Post Consumer Brands. Created by lifelong Post employee Vernon J. Herzing by mixing several of Post's cereals together and having his daughter taste them, Honey Bunches of Oats was introduced to markets in 1989 after three years of development. The cereal is made up of three kinds of flakes and oat clusters baked with a hint of honey. It is marketed as a source of whole grain. Other varieties have almonds or fruits added into the mix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hi-C</span> Fruit juice-flavored soft drink

Hi-C is an American fruit juice-flavored drink made by the Minute Maid division of The Coca-Cola Company. It was created by Niles Foster in 1946 and released in 1947. The sole original flavor was orange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dots (candy)</span> American brand of gum drops

Dots, or Mason Dots, is an American brand of gum drops marketed by Tootsie Roll Industries. According to advertisements, more than four billion dots are produced from the Tootsie Roll Industries Chicago plant each year. Dots are vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, and kosher. They come in various flavors and varieties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fruit Gushers</span> Fruit snack with liquid filling

Fruit Gushers are a Betty Crocker-branded fruit snack introduced in 1991. They are soft and chewy with a fruity-juice center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fruit by the Foot</span> Fruit-based snack made by General Mills

Fruit by the Foot is a fruit snack made by General Mills and distributed under the Betty Crocker brand. It was introduced in 1991 in North America. It is still in production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunkaroos</span> American cookie snack

Dunkaroos are a snack food from Betty Crocker, first launched in 1990. It consists of a snack-sized package containing cookies and frosting; as the name implies, the cookies are meant to be dunked into the frosting before eating. Individual snack packages contain about ten small cookies and one cubic inch of frosting. The cookies are made in a variety of shapes, including a circle with an uppercase "D" in the center, feet, the mascot in different poses, and a hot air balloon.

References

  1. ↑ "The Little-Known History of Fruit Roll-Ups". Mental Floss . 19 October 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Kawash, Samira (2013-10-15). Candy: A Century of Panic and Pleasure. Macmillan. pp. 323–325. ISBN   9780865477568 . Retrieved 2014-11-01.
  3. ↑ "Fruit Snacks". BettyCrocker.com. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  4. ↑ United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels" . Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  5. ↑ Hughlett, Mike (26 December 2012). "General Mills settles claim over Fruit Roll-Ups label". Star Tribune.
  6. ↑ "TikTok's Fruit Roll-Up Ice Cream Hack Lives up to the Hype".
  7. ↑ "Americans caught smuggling over 650 pounds of Fruit Roll-Ups into Israel". 8 May 2023.

5. https://www.snackhistory.com/fruit-roll-ups/#History_Of_Fruit_Roll_Ups

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.