After watching how gummy candies are really made, you’ll never eat them again

23 september 2016

(Collective Evolution |Alexa Erickson ) Oh the beauty of childhood. A time of endless exploration, ignorant bliss, and a never-ending desire to inhale the entire candy store.

As adults, we all know the dangers of such treats, both for our waistlines and our longevity. But, every now and then, a childhood treat makes an appearance, and sometimes, we simply can’t resist. The video below might solve that problem, if you have it.

If gummy bears, peach rings and gummy worms were among your favorite sweet treats as a kid, and perhaps even now, it may be hard for you to watch how they’re actually made.

While you may have come across a vegetarian friend or two who has turned down a fruit snack or cup of jello because such products are made with gelatin, which is a gelling agent created by way of animal skin and bones, the knowledge alone may not be enough to keep you from noshing on the treat yourself.

Thankfully, a Belgian filmmaker Alina Kneepkens is out to change that. Having created a horrifying short film that shows in intense detail the way in which gummy candies are made. Kneepkens begins the footage in reverse, by showing what we’ve all come to know and love as a finished gummy candy right before we pop it into our mouths and enjoy the sweet sensation of processed sugar going down the hatch. As the footage unrolls, the viewer soon comes to discover the candy’s gory inception.

The film is just one in a series of videos documenting the disgusting way our food is made. Other stomach-churning videos include rabbit with plums, which is a typical Belgian dish, and black pudding. Neither are for the faint of heart, either.

Let’s be mindful, of course, that there are vegan gelatin substitutes that some candies are made with, like agar, one of the most popular substitutes for gelatin that is obtained from algae. So, if the following video isn’t enough to make you swear off gummy candies, and perhaps food, for good, then you’ll be glad to know you’ve got options.

Below, enjoy, or grimace, at the very real (and graphic) realization that, to enjoy your sweet treat, pig carcasses must be torched and stripped of their skin, and then boiled down to create the flavorless ingredient. Tendons, ligaments and bones are also utilized to concoct the substance that’s also used in other favorites, like cola bottles and marshmallows.

“I got the assignment to direct some reversed audiovisual stories showing the production of some of our food. I saw quite a few slaughter houses and examples of both industrial and artisan food production. A true eye opener,” Kneepkens states on her website regarding the grim yet eye-opening video series. “‘Jelly’ is candy. But only few people know they’re made of gelatin from the skin of pigs. Sweet?” she concludes above her video of the creation of gummy candies.

Check out the video below, and see if you’re able to pick up a piece of your childhood favorite after: