64 year-old Herm Rowland, Sr. understands better than anyone the need to satisfy a sweet tooth. After all, he is the chairman of Jelly Belly Candy Company, makers of famous gourmet jelly beans. (Popcorn flavor is my favorite!)
His diagnosis has yet to spur Jelly Belly into a frenzy of cranking out a diabetic-friendly product, even though they now have a sugar-free line. However, his disease does call attention to a growing market segment all candy makers need to pay attention to, Americans with adult-onset (type 2) diabetes.
These manufacturers gathered last week for the All Candy Expo, and many showcased sugar-free products. Jelly Belly rolled out sugar-free Jelly Belly beans and Jelly Belly Sours. BestSweet Inc. introduced a Baskin-Robbins Sherbet flavor sugar-free hard candy, and Hershey added strawberry Twizzlers and Reese's White Peanut Butter Cup miniatures to its sugar-free lineup.
This is certainly encouraging news for those who prefer sugar-free candies, but there is a downside, at least where the Jelly Belly sugar-free line is concerned. While reviewing the sugar-free options on the Jelly Belly website I noticed this warning at the bottom of the page: "Consumption of some sugar-free candies may cause stomach discomfort and/or a laxative effect. Individual tolerance will vary. If this is the first time you’ve tried these candies, we recommend beginning with one-fourth of a serving size or less." Ugh!
1. i've tried those Richard Stover's TURTLES!!!
awesome!!!!!!
if there was one candy i actually miss it would be TURTLES!!!!!!!!
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm i could eat a whole box of those!!!!
& not just the 3 pack - i'm talkin the huge boxes that come out specially at xmas time with 2 or even 3 LAYERS!!!!!!!
have they come up with a cure yet???
just wondering........
sigh...........
rhymes with pecan pie**************** ;))
Posted at 2:18PM on Jun 22nd 2005 by Bill Braithwaite