The Unusual Reason A Costco Shopper Warned Reddit About Fruit Jellies

We've all been told many times: Sugar is bad for you. Most people love candy, but we also know that too much of it can be bad for one's health, mainly because of its high sugar content. Sugar is a simple carbohydrate that is quickly broken down by the body and turned into glucose, which is then used for energy. However, when we consume too much sugar, our bodies can't process it all and it gets stored as fat. Consuming too much sugar can lead to weight gain, increased risk of heart disease, and diabetes (via WebMD).

Yet, children absolutely love candy and sweets, especially if it's brightly colored or has fun characters on the label. As Dr. Danielle Reed told Science Daily, children tend to crave sugary foods because their growing bodies automatically look for foods with a high-calorie value.

Sugar is hidden in so many food items and you would think one alternative to these health issues would be sugar-free products. Yet as one Reddit user discovered, those options can also cause a range of health issues.

Product labels are important, especially when it comes to items like foods and medications. Mislabeling those types of products has the potential to put people's health at risk, and in some cases, can even have fatal results (via Nice Label). Reddit user RhaenysTurdgaryen discovered that the Tropical Fields brand of Fruit Jellies that they bought from Costco was in fact sugar-free, but noticed there was no clear labeling to indicate this (via Reddit).

The nutritional information looks favorable: no calories, fats, or sugars, so you would think these fruit jellies would be a great choice. The reality is that they contain artificial sweeteners, namely aspartame and sucralose, which can cause some issues when consumed in large quantities. Though these sweeteners don't usually cause digestive upset like sugar alcohols such as xylitol can, Livestrong notes that aspartame and sucralose may cause weight gain or other issues like headaches and trouble sleeping. Artificial sweeteners can even affect how your food tastes in the long run.

In addition to not being clearly labeled as sugar-free, the fruit jellies also don't seem to be a crowd favorite. YouTube reviewer JustCostcoIt described them as "jelly-like but also sand-like." He went on to say that "Tropical Fields usually makes some really good snacks at Costco but this is not one of their best." Reddit user RhaenysTurdgaryen said the candies have "the most chemical aftertaste I've experienced in a while, and very liquid jelly. It's a straight return for me."