Sunkist Fruit Gems to return after Jewish community scare
Beloved candy tossed at weddings and bar mitzvahs will be back on shelves after discontinuation prompts synagogue-goers to panic-buy stock
JTA — Sunkist Fruit Gems, candies beloved for their throwable qualities at Jewish celebrations, will return to the United States after a brief panic over their discontinuation.
The sugar-coated gummies will be on US shelves in early 2027 following an outpouring of “overwhelming support and enthusiasm shown by Sunkist Fruit Gems fans in recent days,” Sunkist confirmed to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
The company said it will collaborate with CandyRific, a Kentucky-based confectionery company, to continue the legacy of Sunkist Fruit Gems days after reports of the gummies’ demise.
The fruit gems tick crucial boxes for being hurled at bar and bat mitzvahs, wedding celebrations and other happy occasions: They are kosher, soft enough to avoid injuring celebrants and individually wrapped so they don’t get stuck on the floor.
Those attributes will be preserved in their relaunch. “Consumers can expect the same key product characteristics they know and love, including individually wrapped pieces, a soft texture, fruit flavors, and kosher certification,” Sunkist said.
EJewishPhilanthropy first reported Thursday that the fruit gems were being discontinued by Ferrara, a Chicago-based candy company, prompting memorial tributes in Jewish communities throughout the US.
Ferrara told JTA that Sunkist Fruit Gems were cut from their Jelly Belly brand to “focus resources on future growth and innovation,” saying the company appreciated “the enthusiasm many consumers have shown for Sunkist Fruit Gems.”
The fruit gems have been a staple at US synagogues for generations. They were born from an overabundance of citrus in the 1930s, when the citrus harvester Sunkist began transforming surplus fruit into byproducts. The candies evolved from Christopher’s Fruit Gems to take the Sunkist name in the 1960s.
Protests against their disappearance included an appeal in eJewishPhilanthropy by Sara Fredman Aeder, the executive vice president of programming at the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, headlined “Save the Fruit Gems.”
Sunkist’s announcement on Instagram that the fruit gems were “not going anywhere” was met with grateful replies.
“I panic-bought in bulk for my wedding next year,” said one commenter. “Now I feel foolish lol. But enjoying a bunch of very yummy gummies.”