I’m not much of a candy eater, myself. Chocolate, ice cream, pastries – give me those all day long. But bags of candy, be they sweet, sour, or both, just don’t tempt me to splurge on calories.
My husband and kids are the opposite, though, and there’s always some kind of gummy candy in our house. But I’ve gotta say, after reading about the ickiness of gummy bears, we might have to be more discerning in the future.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCEes5tpMcL/
You probably know (or would realize if you thought about it) that gummy bears are made with gelatin – a colorless, tasteless protein used as a thickening agent in any kind of gelatinous food (gag).
You might not know, though, that gelatin is extracted by boiling animal skin, tendons, ligaments, and bone.
Yeah. I know.
Belgian filmmaker Alina Kneepkens is bursting everyone’s Jell-O, gummy-loving bubbles with an episode of Over Eten (On Food) that explores the step-by-step process of making gummy bears.
The short film is part of a series that examines how different foods and ingredients get from farm and/or factory into stores, and honestly…I think we’re really better off now knowing some of this stuff.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCEQkGLl6MV/
There’s an episode on black pudding, and you don’t want to watch that at all. Or eat it. Just trust me.
You likely know they’re made with gelatin—a colorless, tasteless protein that’s used as a thickening agent. But did you know that gelatin is extracted by boiling animal skin, tendons, ligaments, and bones with water?
The videos show the process in reverse, starting with the food you know and love and then dismantling it, piece by piece, until you’re left with the ingredients.
The one below shows the backward process of making gummies.
Watch at your own risk!
Do you prefer to just eat your food and not know where it came from? Or does information like this fascinate you?
Either way, tell us in the comments whether knowing the truth means no more gummy bears in your house (it just might in mine)!
