Is Fruit Strips Variety Pack Cherry, Strawberry, Raspberry Gluten Free?

The Ingredient Breakdown

As a food scientist, I look past the marketing claims and straight at the formulation. For this variety pack, the ingredient deck is surprisingly clean regarding gluten risks. The base of these strips is apple puree concentrate and pear puree concentrate. These act as the structural binder, replacing the need for wheat flour or oat flour often found in granola bars.

For flavoring, the manufacturer uses specific fruit purees: cherry puree concentrate, strawberry puree concentrate, and raspberry puree concentrate. Pure fruit concentrates are naturally free of gluten. The acidity is balanced with lemon juice concentrate and concentrated orange juice, which also helps preserve the product without synthetic additives.

The only non-fruit ingredients are natural flavors and vegetable juice (used for color). In the food industry, natural flavors are typically derived from essential oils or extracts that do not contain gluten. There are no thickeners like modified food starch (which can sometimes be wheat-derived) or hydrolyzed wheat protein present. Therefore, the formulation is inherently gluten-free.

Nutritional Value

From a nutritional standpoint, these fruit strips are essentially concentrated fruit sugars with a bit of fiber. Because the water has been removed to create the strip texture, the sugar content is high relative to fresh fruit. A single strip usually contains between 10g to 13g of sugar, primarily from the fruit concentrates themselves.

However, they are virtually fat-free and contain a small amount of dietary fiber, which aids in digestion. They fit well into a vegan or paleo diet, but if you are monitoring your sugar intake (such as for a keto diet), these would not be suitable. They are an excellent source of quick energy, making them popular for hiking or pre-workout snacks, but portion control is key for daily calorie management.