Fruit Gushers

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.

Fruit Gushers
Fruit Gushers (2017)
Alternative namesGushers
TypeFruit snack
Created byBetty Crocker
Invented1991
Food energy
(per 28 g serving)
90 kcal (377 kJ)

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 $4.11 in 2019) 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 his 2018 book, Nourishment: What Animals Can Teach Us About Rediscovering Our Nutritional Wisdom, Fred Provenza noted that while Fruit Gushers are fruit-flavored, their nutritional composition is very different from their produce counterparts. While 90 calories worth of Strawberry Fruit Gushers equaled 28 grams (0.99 oz) and contained nine grams (0.32 oz) of sugar, 1 g of fat, and cost $0.46 (equivalent to $0.47 in 2019); 90 calories worth of actual strawberries equaled 284 grams (10.0 oz) and contained five grams (0.18 oz) of dietary fiber, "many minerals and vitamins, and thousands of phytochemicals." Provenza called Fruit Gushers "empty calories".[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.[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]

References
  1. 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. 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. 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.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!
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