Fruit Snacks look like a great alternative to less healthy snacks. But are fruit snacks really healthy? What are the ingredients? And are all fruit snacks the same?
Mott’s and Welch’s are two companies that produce popular fruit snacks. I looked closely at what they offer, what they are, and whether they are an excellent snacking option.
So, what’s the Difference Between Mott’s and Welch’s Fruit Snacks?
Let’s have a look at the two options and compare!
Mott’s Fruit Snacks
Mott’s was founded in 1842 and started to sell fruit snacks in 2010 to offer parents a way to make their children consume more fruits.
Mott’s has a small but nice selection of flavors:
- Assorted Fruits is a classic which combines the flavors of pears and apples.
- The Berry Fruit snack – as the name implies – is the best option for lovers of berry flavors.
- Mott’s Tropical Fruit Snack makes you feel like you’re taking a holiday on a tropical island.
- The Assorted Fruits snack is also available with some added fiber.
- Mott’s Fruity Rolls are fun and convenient. These are perfect for kids’ lunch boxes.
What are the Ingredients in Motts Fruit Snacks?
The ingredients in different flavors of Motts Fruit Snacks may differ slightly, but the basic ingredient list looks like this:
Corn syrup, sugar, modified corn starch, pear juice concentrate, apple juice concentrate, and sweet potato juice concentrate. Contains 2% or less of: citric acid, vitamin c (ascorbic acid), fruit pectin, sodium citrate, malic acid, dextrose, color (vegetable juice, fruit juice, annatto extract, and turmeric extract), sunflower oil†, natural flavor, carnauba wax. (†adds a trivial amount of fat).
Are Mott’s Fruit Snacks Healthy?
While I wouldn’t call them healthy like a proper piece of fruit – they are among the better fruit snack options on the market. The low-calorie count per piece and the added vitamins make it a good choice for snacking. Maybe not properly healthy, but also not bad.
Are Mott’s Fruit Snacks Bad for You?
Consuming them in moderation is not bad for you unless you have diabetes or are allergic to an ingredient.
How Long do Motts Fruit Snacks last?
The best before date is one year after the production of the snacks – they will likely last longer but might lose their taste over time. It’s always best to eat them before they expire.
Are Mott’s Fruit Snacks Vegetarian or Vegan?
Unlike many other fruit snacks, Mott’s are vegan as they do not include gelatin or other animal-derived products.
Welch’s Fruit Snacks
Welch’s Fruit Snacks are part of an extensive line-up of fruity products from Welch’s. The company was founded in 1869. The company consists of 700 family-run farms and always stresses how important family values are for them.
Welch’s was the first company to sell jellies and preserves in squeezable containers.
What Welch’s Fruit Snacks Flavors are available?
Welch’s offers a great variety of flavors.
- Concorde Grape is the flavor that highlights the company’s history with grapes.
- Mixed Fruit brings together the flavors of grape, peach, orange, strawberry, and raspberry (Also available in a reduced sugar version).
- Berries’n’Cherries is an excellent choice if you can’t get enough of berries (Also available in a reduced sugar version).
- The Fruit Punch and Island Fruit bundle combines flavors that remind you of exotic locations.
- Citrus Medley is on the tangy side of sweet and combines Cherry, Cranberry Grape, Tangerine, Lemonade, Green Apple, and Pink Grapefruit.
- The Apple Orchard Medley combines flavors from the fruit you expect to find in typical orchards, like Granny Smith Apple, Pear, Golden Delicious Apple, Red Delicious Apple, and Apricot.
- If you love strawberries, choosing the Strawberry Fruit Snack is a no-brainer.
- The Superfruit Mix combines the flavors of more exotic fruits like Pomegranate-Passionfruit, Starfruit-Kiwi, Dragonfruit-Blackberry, Acai-Blueberry, and Goji-Apricot.
- Welch’s Summer Fruits snacks can remind you of warmer weather even in winter by combining Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Blackberry, Mango-Peach, Honeydew, and Plum.
If they all sound great and you don’t know which one to choose, you could buy a variety pack to test more than just one flavor.
What are the Ingredients in Welch’s Fruit Snacks?
Welch’s fruit snacks have a pretty long list of ingredients. The ingredients slightly differ from flavor to flavor. Let’s have a look at the “Summer Fruits” fruit snack.
The ingredients are:
Fruit puree (grape, pear, peach, mango, plum, blackberry, watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe), corn syrup, sugar, modified corn starch, gelatin, citric acid, lactic acid, natural flavors, ascorbic acid (vitamin c), alpha-tocopherol acetate (vitamin e), vitamin a palmitate, sodium citrate, coconut oil, carnauba wax, annatto (color), turmeric (color), and fruit and vegetable juice (color).
Are Welch’s Fruit Snacks Healthy?
No, they are not. While the snacks claim to be an excellent source of Vitamins A, C & E, they are far from healthy thanks to the high amount of different sugars.
Welch’s even had a lawsuit filed against them because they tried to market their product as healthy.
Are Welch’s Fruit Snacks Bad for You?
While they aren’t exactly healthy for you, you can safely enjoy them as a snack (unless you have diabetes). Like all candy, overconsumption can lead to a variety of health problems.
How Long Do Welch’s Fruit Snacks last?
Their best before date is one year after the production date. You can find the best before date hidden in the lot code, as Welches states on their FAQs, the first two numbers are the year, following the letter corresponds with the month, and the following number is the day.
Are Welch’s Fruit Snacks Vegetarian or Vegan?
They are neither. Welch’s Fruit Snacks contain gelatin, an animal product (I’m not going into details here as it isn’t very appetizing). So these fruit snacks are not suitable for vegans or vegetarians!
Comparison Questions (Motts Fruit Snacks vs Welch’s Fruit Snacks):
Do Motts or Welch’s Fruit Snacks Last Longer?
They both have a best-before date one year after production.
Are Motts or Welch’s Fruit Snacks More Affordable?
Welch’s Fruit Snacks are slightly more expensive than Mott’s Fruit Snacks. Here we can compare a box of 40 and see that Motts cost per pouch is lower than Welches cost per pouch:
| Brand | Number of Pouches/Packs | Cost Per Pouch |
| Welches Fruit Snacks | 40 | $0.21 |
| Motts Fruit Flavored Snacks | 40 | $0.199 |
These prices are subject to change and have been gathered from current date online retailers. The comparison is created to make a point that one product is less in price than another.
It is also important to consider the size of the pouches, Motts pouches are 0.8 oz and Welches are 0.9 oz. This means in terms of quantity of product, the prices are very similar.
Which Fruit Snack Has More Flavors?
Motts has five different flavors (Assorted Fruit, Berry, Tropical, Assorted Fruit Plus Fiber, and Fruity Rolls.
Welch’s offers 12 flavors (Concorde Grape, Mixed Fruit, Mixed Fruit Reduced Sugar, Berries’n’Cherries, Berries’n’Cherries Reduced Sugar, Fruit Punch, Citrus Medley, Apple Orchard Medley, Strawberry, Superfruit Mix, Island Fruits, Summer Fruits).
The clear winner here is Welch’s!
Are Motts or Welch’s Fruit Snacks gluten-free?
They are both gluten-free. On the Welches box you will see “Gluten Free” located on the front, also each pouch lists “gluten free” on the front of the pouch. Motts lists “NO gelatin or gluten” on the front of the box too, while each pouch lists “gluten free” too.
Are Motts or Welch’s Fruit Snacks suitable for vegans?
Only Mott’s Fruit Snacks can be enjoyed by vegans, as Welch’s are made with gelatin (pork or beef). Motts lists on the boxes “NO gelatin” as well as on each pouch.
Where can you buy Motts or Welch’s Fruit Snacks?
Both can be purchased on Amazon, so they are both easily accessible.
In addition, both brands can be bought in stores like Walmart, Target, Costco, Kroger, and many others. They are both commonly found in grocery stores around the United States and in Canada.
Check out the latest price of each here on Amazon:
Welch’s Fruit Snacks (see latest price)
Mott’s Fruit Flavored Snacks (see latest price)
Related Questions
How Often Can You Eat Motts Fruit Snacks or Welch’s Fruit Snacks?
You can eat fruit snacks daily but should not overdo it as they contain a lot of sugar. Although they may appear as a healthy snack, they should not be consumed as a fresh fruit. Fruit snacks are high in sugar as corn syrup and sugar are in their top ingredients.
Are Fruit Snacks a Good Alternative To Real Fruit?
No. You should never try to replace real fruit with snack foods. It is not recommended for you to substitute real fruit with fruit snacks, you get much more nutrients from fresh fruit.
Can Children Eat Fruit Snacks?
Yes, but parents need to ensure that they do not eat too many. It is a better snack than candy and chocolate bars, however, too many fruit snacks includes as much sugar as candy. Children should have fruit snacks in moderation, but fresh fruit should be a priority always.
Can Fruit Snacks Cause Constipation?
Under normal circumstances, fruit snacks do not cause constipation.
The Verdict – Which Is Better? Mott’s Fruit Snacks or Welch’s Fruit Snacks?
While Welch’s Fruit Snacks might be more attractive because they offer so many different flavors and attractive packaging, my winner is Mott’s Fruit Snacks.
They are the healthier option and do not contain gelatin. Mott’s Fruit Snacks can be enjoyed by a wider variety of people (vegans and vegetarians) and is a little kinder to the planet.
Mott’s Fruit Snacks are also better for people on a smaller budget, so Mott’s ticks all the boxes I want to be ticked by a snack: not too bad for you, not too expensive, and without too many nasty ingredients.