Rowntree's Fruit Gums facts for kids
 |
|
 |
|
| Owner | Nestlé |
|---|---|
| Introduced | 1893 |
| Previous owners | Rowntree's |
Rowntree's Fruit Gums are yummy, chewy, circular sweets. They used to be made by a company called Rowntree's. Later, a bigger company named Nestlé bought Rowntree's. Fruit Gums come in five different fruit flavours. Each flavour has its own bright colour. You can find strawberry (which was once raspberry), orange, lemon, blackcurrant, and lime.
These popular sweets first came out in 1893. They were first called "Rowntree's Clear Gums." People loved them, and they were even called "The nation's favourite sweet." You could buy them in small tubes or bigger packets. Besides the usual rolls, they also came in special boxes. These boxes had sweets shaped like the fruits they tasted like!
In 2020, Nestlé changed the recipe for Fruit Gums. They made them friendly for vegans. This means people who don't eat animal products can now enjoy them too.
Contents
What Are Fruit Gums Made Of?
Fruit Gums are made from a mix of ingredients that give them their chewy texture and fruity taste. The main parts are glucose syrup and sugar. They also contain starch and a natural gum called gum arabic.
To get their fruity flavours, they use concentrated fruit juice. This juice comes from fruits like apple, blackcurrant, orange, lime, strawberry, and lemon. They also have different acids to make them a bit tangy, like malic acid and citric acid. Natural colours are added to make them look bright and appealing. Finally, a special coating called carnauba wax makes them shiny.
How the Recipe Changed
Before 2020, Fruit Gums used to contain gelatine. Gelatine is an ingredient that comes from animals. It was removed to make the sweets suitable for vegans. Another ingredient, carminic acid, which gave some sweets a red colour, was also taken out.
Around 2010, the amount of fruit juice in Fruit Gums changed. It went from 25 percent down to 1 percent concentrated fruit juice. In 2017, Nestlé also announced a plan to reduce the amount of sugar in Fruit Gums by 30 percent. This was part of an effort to make snacks a bit healthier.
Famous Advertisements
Fruit Gums had a very memorable advertising campaign. It ran for three years, from 1958 to 1961. The famous slogan was "Don't Forget the Fruit Gums, Mum." A copywriter named Roger Musgrave created this catchy phrase.
The television advert showed a young boy. He would remind his mother to buy Fruit Gums as she left to go shopping. The advert claimed that Fruit Gums "last all day" and "last the longest." This probably meant they took a long time to dissolve in your mouth, giving you a longer-lasting treat!
See Also
- Joseph Rowntree (philanthropist)
- List of confectionery brands
External Links
- Rowntree's Fruit Gums Official Website: https://www.rowntrees.co.uk/our-products/rowntrees-fruit-gums
