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A fruit snack is a type of gummy candy made with fruit flavoring and gelatin. They were first made by confectioner Louis Shalhoub in the 1970s as a high energy candy for backpackers. Although they are often marketed as a healthier alternative to regular gummy candies, the veracity of these claims is disputed, as they typically contain fruit flavoring instead of actual fruit.
The first modern fruit snack was Joray Fruit Rolls, which were developed by confectioner Louis Shalhoub in the 1970s. [1] It was used by backpackers as a lightweight, high-energy food.
The name fruit snack was first used in 1983 by General Mills, which they used to describe their version of Shalhoub's product, Fruit Roll-Ups. [1]
By the mid-1980s, the fruit snack was a multimillion-dollar business. However, sales peaked in 2013 and declined over the next few years. [2]
 | This article is missing information about vitamin fortification and its (lack of?) significance.(July 2021) |
More than half the weight of the fruit snacks is simple sugars. [3] They also contain an average of 12% water by weight, 25% starch, a small amount of fat, and a negligible amount of protein. [3]
The nutritional value or content of fruit snacks has long been contested. [4] Much of the controversy surrounds the nutritional value, especially surrounding its sugar content, which is found in large amounts in some fruit snacks. [5]
Despite the overall lack of nutritional value, most fruit snacks have a considerable portion of Vitamin C but tend to be lacking in most other micronutrients. [6]
In some cases, manufactures of fruit snacks have faced class-action lawsuits over their marketing claims that fruit snacks are "healthy." [7]