strawberry gelatin snack pack
Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.

Strawberry? Where Is the Strawberry?

I n traveling, I often find items I do not find when I am at home.

In this case — in what appears to be a food service package instead of one available for retail — I found this serving of Strawberry Hunt’s Snack Pack Gel Snacks, as you can see in the photograph above. It proclaims to have “10 percent real Fruit Juice.”

Look closer and you will see that any evidence of a real strawberry is not found in — or anywhere near — the ingredients of this snack. Rather, the real fruit juices included are apple, pear, peach and pineapple.

Perhaps adipic acid is the scientific name for strawberry juice? Is carob bean gum a new flavor by Wrigley’s?

Why not call the flavor of this snack fruit punch? I am sure there is not enough room on the label to call this Apple, Pear, Peach and Pineapple Hunt’s Snack Pack Gel Snacks — and I would consider eating a fruit snack named that, as it sounds good to me.

I have a novel idea: how about including real strawberry juice in this snack if it is going to be called strawberry? Are strawberries really that expensive that their juice cannot be used in this snack without losing money?

I have grown strawberry plants myself, and they are rather easy to grow. In fact — under the right conditions — they will multiply by themselves with offshoots or “runners” which produce more strawberry plants; and more strawberry plants usually means more strawberries.

That has been my experience, anyway…

Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.

  1. Oh sure Brian GROWING strawberries is easy but have you ever tried juicing them? I live near the strawberry capitol of Florida and I must tell you at the county fair there is every incarnation of strawberry food items EXCEPT strawberry juice.

    1. Funny you should say that, Graydon. When I was in Egypt, I drank watermelon juice for the first time and wondered why that was not more readily available in the United States.

      Oddly, some places blended everything — including the seeds — into the juice. Other places left the seeds out, which I preferred.

      I actually like the seeds of strawberries, however; and would not mind them in a juice. I have consumed frozen fruit bars and ice cream products comprised of natural strawberries with the seeds; and my grandmother — may she rest in peace — used to take fresh strawberries and stew them, which would naturally create a juice from it…

      …so I never really thought about the process of juicing strawberries. Still, that is no reason to call the flavor of a product strawberry when it is comprised of apple, pear, peach and pineapple. That is as deceptive as resort fees and fuel surcharges, in my opinion.

      I am guessing you are talking about Plant City, Florida as the strawberry capital?

      1. I too enjoy watermelon juice and I found it somewhere here in the southern US. Never had it with the seeds blended but it is really refreshing on a hot summer day. Yes I am just past Plant City on Interstate 4 and I am quite happy with all strawberry products – except the “gel” mix containing apple, pear, peach and pineapple. Come to think of it I do enjoy apple juice solo, same with pear juice. I’ll never turn down a peach bellini (even no alcoholic ones are nice). Pineapple works in a pinch but it’s a bit acidic but that’s another rant…

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