Last Updated on October 28, 2022 by Jim Edwards
Fruit by the Foot is a popular American fruity candy with one of the most unique flavor combinations and appearances in the confectionery world. Join us as we dive into the history, nutrition, and taste of this marvelous treat!
Contents
A History Lesson on Fruit by the Foot
Fruit by the Foot is a long and thin roll of fruity candy introduced by General Mills back in 1992. The product was launched under their Betty Crocker brand of candy which also hosts other fruity candies such as Fruit Gushers and Dunkaroos.
The candy was invented by Thomas Herzog in North America and the candy was an instant hit among the kids at the time. The candy still remains a popular treat for kids and adults alike and as such is still in production today.
How Does Fruit by the Foot Look?
The appearance of this popular 90s candy is quite similar to that of Fruit Roll-Ups, also produced by General Mills. The sweet fruity treat looks essentially like a long strip, three feet long according to manufacturer claims, of candy pasted on an equally long strip of wax paper and rolled over on itself to form a roll.
For promotional reasons, General Mills also printed games, jokes, trivia facts, and even stickers on the back of the paper which made the candy all the more appealing to children back in the day.
Fruit by the Foot, at one point, even included fun and secretive messages on the paper that would appear blurred until you peeled off the strip of Fruit by the Foot from it. Betty Crocker also published fun snack and dessert recipes which, of course, included Fruit by the Foot as one of the main ingredients.
Back in the early 1999, General Mills also collaborated with Nintendo on a promotional TV campaign. The advertisement involved Fruit by the Foot candies having Nintendo 64 game tips scribed on the paper backing.
Nowadays, the candy can be found in a green or greenish-yellow box that depicts a loose roll of candy running along the face of the box and a large Fruit by the Foot label at the front of the box.
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How Does the Fruit by Foot Taste?
The long fruity candy is available in a large variety of flavors with enough options to keep things interesting and your taste buds indulged for years on end. The candy, although, is just a thin layer of sugary substance, it still has depth to it when you bite in, perhaps due to the soft and chewy texture it so remarkably carries.
As soon as the candy hits your tongue, your taste buds are greeted with an explosion of sweet and sour flavors which bend in with each other brilliantly all the while remaining prominent enough for you to know that they are present.
The flavor is strong and long-lasting, enough so that you can still feel the taste in your mouth long after devouring the candy. As a farewell memento, the candy also leaves your mouth with a sweet and fruity breath.
Originally, the candy would also leave you with a colored tongue however, since General Mills has renounced the use of artificial colors from Fruity to the Foot, a colored tongue may no longer be in the cards for you.
As mentioned before, the candy offers a long list of flavors for you to choose from. Here are some of the most popular flavors you should try out:
- Berry Tie-Dye
- Color By the Foot
- Strawberry
- Razzle Boo Blitz flavor
- Cherry And Orange flavor
- Strawberry Scream flavor
- Ninja Power Punch (Limited Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles edition)
- Berry Blast
- Sour lemon and sweet blueberry
- Strawberry Splash
- Spicy Watermelon
- Fiery Peach
- Ocean Punch flavor
- Raspberry And Grape flavor
- Berry Berry Twist
Different Versions of Fruit by the Foot
Over the years, Fruit to the Boot has launched several special and some limited versions of its mainstay product. This was done either to introduce new flavor combinations to the public or a way to celebrate popular TV shows, movies, or book series and use it to promote the candy. Here are some popular versions the candy has come out with over the years:
- In 1997, General Mills launched a Goosebumps themed version of the Fruit by the Foot candy. This version included a purple and blue color theme to symbolize the spooky theme of the Goosebumps series. There were also teasers of the Goosebumps story on the candy wrappers and a similar themed version of Fruit Roll-Ups was also released.
- A smaller version of the classic Fruit by the Foot was also released by the name of Fruit by the Foot Mini Feet. This version of the candy was offered in little pouches as and was marketed as a Valentine’s Day candy and a perfect snack for classroom gatherings.
- Spicy Watermelon and Fiery Peach flavors were also introduced in the Sweet & Fiery version of the candy. A Fruit Gusher version based on the same flavor combo was also introduced.
- Based on the popular Nickelodeon TV series iCarly, an iCarly version of Fruit by the Foot was also released. The version featured a new flavor called LOL Punch and was available for only a limited time period.
- Fruit by the Foot was also launched for a limited time as a Halloween Candy special with Halloween Monster flavors inspired by the popular monster-themed cereals Boo Berry and FrankenBerry. Razzle Boo Blitz and Strawberry Scream were the two flavors that were introduced in this edition.
- Featuring an all-new flavor called the Ninja Power Punch, General Mills introduced a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (TMNT) of the already adored fruity candy. This edition was aimed as a promotional spin-off candy to TMNT, a popular comic, TV show, and video game series. Some boxes of Fruit by the Foot and Fruit Roll-Ups even hosted bookmarks and posters for promoting a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film.
Nutritional Value
The serving size for the candy consists of 1 roll per serving which weighs in at 21g. The nutritional facts per serving are as follows:
| Serving Size | 1 roll (21g) |
| Calories | 80 |
| Total Fat | 1g (2%) |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 50mg (2%) |
| Protein | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 17g (6%) |
| Total Sugars | 10g |
| Vitamin A | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 9mg (10%) |
| Calcium | 0% |
| Iron | 0% |
Fruit by the 1000 Feet – 80,000 Calories!
In today’s video, we are combining enough Fruit by the Foot to make a 1000-foot strand. Can we hang on it?
Summary
Even though Fruit by the Foot is no longer in its heyday, the candy is still one of the most popular and loved confectioneries in the United States. General Mills’ decision to forgo the artificial colors and flavorings in the ingredients makes the candy an even more appealing option and a compelling buy. Add in the enormous variety of flavors and you have a candy that’ll keep your taste buds intrigued for many years to come.
Fruity by the Foot – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is Fruit by the Foot healthy?
The candies have a high sugar content and therefore do not make for a healthy snack. However, the candies are an excellent source of vitamin C and are low in fat therefore, are comparatively healthier than many other candies.
What is in Fruit by the Foot?
The main ingredients include are Sugar, Corn Syrup, Palm Oil, Pear Puree Concentrate, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Monoglycerides, Malic Acid, Vitamin C, Locust Bean Gum, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Citrate, and Natural Flavor.
Does Fruit by the Foot Still Exist?
Yes, Fruit by the Foot is still in production.
How Much Sugar Is in Fruit by the Foot?
Each roll contains 10g of sugar.
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Image Credits
“Betty Crocker ‘Fruit by the Foot’ Franken Berry – Strawberry Scream Fruit Flavored Snacks ((2007))” by tOkKa is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
“Fruit by the Foot Easter Edition, Mini Feet at Target” by JeepersMedia is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
“Fruit by the Foot Easter Edition, Mini Feet at Target” by JeepersMedia is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
“Scooby Doo Halloween ‘Fruit by the Foot’ at Target! Jinkies! Zoicks!” by JeepersMedia is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
I’m Jim Edwards and I started this website to share my love of Junk Food. We cover new junk food, desserts, snack foods, fast food secret menus, candy (of course!) and other related news. We love trying “secret menus” at restaurants. And we love trying new products too. So, we are trying to have some fun with our hobby and share some useful information with you, our community. Please feel to send us your suggestions and feedback through the contact form. And if you have products you would like us to try, let us know…!