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Woman-Owned Candy Brand Launches Vegan Version of Starburst

The low-sugar candy chews are free of gelatin and come in mango, strawberry, and watermelon flavors.


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Candy company Smart Sweets recently released a new line of plant-based chews that mimic popular Starburst candies in three flavors: Mango, Strawberry, and Watermelon. While Starburst candies in the United States are made with gelatin—an ingredient sourced from collagen found in animal bones—Sweet Chews are formulated with pectin and sweetened with monk fruit to reduce the amount of added sugar.  

Tara Bocsh founded the company in 2016 when she was 21 years old to offer candy-lovers an alternative with less sugar. “We’ve spent hundreds of hours in our Candyland kitchen perfecting our new Sweet Chews and are excited to launch the first-ever low-sugar, plant-based check in the market,” Bocsh told Confectionery News. “The possibilities are limitless as we continue elevating the #KickSugar movement and reinvent the candy aisle.” 

The new candies are available through the company’s website for $3.29 per 1.6-ounce bag and $39.48 for a bulk pack of 12 pouches. While some of Smart Sweet’s candies do contain gelatin, the company also offers other plant-based candies such as Sweet Fish, Sour Blast Buddies, and Peach Rings.

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