Fruit Gushers

Last updated

Fruit Gushers
Betty Crocker Fruit Gushers pieces (cropped).jpg
Fruit Gushers (2017)
Alternative namesGushers
Type Fruit snack
Created by Betty Crocker
Invented1991
Food energy
(per 28 g serving)
90  kcal  (377 kJ) [1]

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

Contents

History

Fruit Gushers (sometimes simply "Gushers") were introduced in 1991 [1] as a Betty Crocker fruit snack. [2] Each box of Fruit Gushers was list priced at US$2.19(equivalent to $4.9 in 2023) and contained six pouches of Gushers, each of which had nine individual pieces for 90 calories (380 kJ) per pouch. [1]

Composition

Strawberry-flavored Fruit Gushers are composed of pear concentrate, sugar, dried corn syrup, corn syrup, modified corn starch, fructose, and grape juice concentrate. [3] Targeted at children, they were acorn-shaped with a soft "licorice-like" exterior and a liquid inside, included "strawberries and pear puree concentrate", and came in two flavors: "Strawberry Splash" and "Gushin' Grape". [1]

In 2003, one serving of any Fruit Gushers variety was one 0.9-ounce (26 g) package with 90 calories, zero protein, one gram (0.035 oz) of fat, and 20 grams (0.71 oz) of carbohydrates. [4] In 2018, 90 calories worth of Strawberry Fruit Gushers weighed 28 grams (0.99 oz) and contained nine grams (0.32 oz) of sugar, one gram of fat, and cost $0.46(equivalent to $0.56 in 2023). [3]

Varieties

Betty Crocker released a new variety of Fruit Gushers in early 2020: "Galactic Fruit Gushers". These featured the flavors "Asteroid Apple", "Berry Star Cluster", and a mystery flavor labeled "Unidentified Flavored Object"; the latter was part of a contest where consumers could guess at the unknown flavor and win prizes "like sweatshirts, hats, blankets, pop sockets, and more". Galactic Fruit Gushers were sold through Walmart.com for $5.88(equivalent to $6.92 in 2023). [5]

Reception

A 1991 Sun-Sentinel review said that the insides oozed rather than gushed, and found the confectionery surprisingly pleasant. [1] In 2013, Complex magazine ranked Fruit Gushers the second-best fruit snack of all time, coming in behind another Betty Crocker product, Shark Bites. [2]

In September 2023, police in St. Marys, Kansas reported seizing fruit snacks and gummies, laced with tetrahydrocannabinol, being packaged as real commercial brands thereofincluding Fruit Gushers. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Noding, Jodi (December 19, 1991). "Kids' Snack Gushes with Fruit Flavor" . Sun-Sentinel . ISSN   0744-8139. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Castro, Vanessa (July 25, 2013). "The 25 Greatest Fruit Snacks of All Time". Complex . Archived from the original on February 14, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Provenza, Fred (November 2018). "More Than One Kind of Memory". Nourishment: What Animals Can Teach Us About Rediscovering Our Nutritional Wisdom. White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing. pp. 72–82. ISBN   9781603588027. LCCN   2018028053.
  4. Natow, Annette B.; Heslin, Jo-Ann (February 2003) [1997]. "Brand Name, Nonbranded (Generic) & Take-Out Foods". The Protein Counter (2nd ed.). 1230 Avenue of the Americas: Pocket Books. p. 205. ISBN   0-7434-6434-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  5. Miller, Korin (January 14, 2020). "Gushers Has Limited-Edition Space Flavors Including A Delicious Mystery Gummy". Delish . Archived from the original on May 9, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2020. It's multiple choice!
  6. Motter, Sarah (September 19, 2023). "Parents warned to keep an eye on children's snacks as THC gummies seized". St. Marys, Kansas: WIBW-TV. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.