The 2018 Grammy Awards lasted until midnight in New York City, which was past my usual bedtime and possibly yours, too. It was also probably past six-year-old Blue ivy’s bedtime, which is why her mother and father, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, brought juice boxes and Annie’s Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks—aka gummy candies sold as healthy snacks because they have some vitamin C—to the front row of the show.
I don’t have kids but I was a kid in the ‘90s when every kid except me got a “fruit snack” in their lunchbox. I now realize that sugary juices and gummy fruit snacks are not healthy foods and, contrary to what they advertise, not actually fruit. But when you’re a parent—even if you’re Beyoncé—sometimes you have to make compromises to keep your child from turning into a terror, especially if cameras are involved. And that means giving them what they want: sugar.
I eat a lot of fruit snacks as an adult to make up for their absence in my life as a child. Real fruit is much healthier, but fruit snacks at least sound healthier than gummy bears, at least. And why wouldn’t you want to eat like Blue Ivy? I want to dress like her, too. Here are my fruit snack recommendations for adult palates.
Annie’s Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks
These are what Beyoncé and Jay-Z were feeding Blue Ivy at the Grammy Awards, so you know they’re good. I’m sure Beyoncé would have preferred feeding real fruit to Blue Ivy, but fruit is messy. Every pouch contains 100% of your daily vitamin C needs and all the bunny-shaped snacks, which come in flavors like pink lemonade, are organic, vegan, and gluten-free.
Prince & Spring Fruitmojis Snacks
These gluten-free gummies are shaped like these emojis: 💩🔥💸🍕❤😋. They’re marketed as snacks to help you with your afternoon slump, which means they’re not as cloyingly sweet as, say, Welch’s, another childhood lunchbox favorite. I wouldn’t say they’re healthy, but they have a decent amount of vitamin C, and I shovel a pouch into my mouth when I need something to tide me over while cooking dinner.
Percy Pigs
I discovered these at Marks & Spencer while living in England but you can buy them for a markup from Amazon wherever you live. Percy Pigs are such a cult favorite that Carine Roitfeld and Tom Ford did a photoshoot with these fruit juice-flavored gummies in CR Fashion Book in 2013. They’re famous for their texture, which is a more pillow-y gummy that you can really sink your teeth into. That’s because they’re made with real pig gelatin instead of pectin, a vegetarian alternative that you find in other fruit snacks. There’s a vegetarian Percy Pigs made with beeswax and pea protein, but don’t eat this version unless you’re actually vegetarian.
Sugarfina Green Juice Bears
I love that these fruit snacks want to be gummy bears and green juice at the same time. Inspired by Pressed Juicery’s green juice, these gummies are made with apple, lemon, ginger, and greens, and contain 20% of your daily vitamin C and A. It’s also packed in a green juice bottle so you can continue lying to yourself.