Why is it so important to you that SmartSweets have no sugar alcohols?
Sugar alcohols are often used in the food industry to push down the net carb count. We think that this comes at waayy too high a cost to our bodies. We want SmartSweets to be friendly to our tummies so we will never use sugar alcohols.
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Why have you developed your own testing method?
We discovered that standard nutritional tests actually leave out a sugar molecule. We want our community to know about this so our nutritional stats include all the required testing PLUS an extra sugar molecule others don’t capture.
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Are your recipes now free from carrageenan?
You bet. We learnt that this was important to our #KickSugar community so we removed the carrageenan from our new recipe.
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Have you recently changed your recipe?
We have been evolving our recipe since January 2020! Since we landed on our previous recipe, views on soluble tapioca fiber (from IMO) have evolved and it's now understood that this ingredient doesn't always act like a fiber in our bodies. We have taken the latest thinking on this ingredient plus feedback from our #KickSugar community to land on an overall better recipe that uses two different types of clinically backed fibers and has no carageenan. We’ll always keep our pinky promise to you - delicious candy you can feel good about with no sugar alcohols, artificial sweeteners or added sugar. Every ingredient is gluten free, non-GMO and our 50g bags are always one serving for the whole bag.
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Will you continue to update your recipes?
Innovation is in our DNA! We are committed to using the latest and greatest ingredients in our recipes and will continue to evolve with new candies and tweaks to existing recipes over time.
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What is Carnauba Wax?
Great question! Carnauba Wax is a natural renewable resource used as a coating for our gummy bears. It is grown in Brazil and is harvested from the leaves of the carnauba palm. The wax is harvested using traditional procedures that doesn't damage the trees. Fun fact: the use of carnauba wax creates an economic incentive to keep the trees standing.
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Once opened, how long do SmartSweets last?
Because our innovations are proudly made with natural ingredients with no preservatives or additives, SmartSweets will begin to harden if left exposed to air once opened. When sealed, SmartSweets are shelf-stable for 1 year.
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Are SmartSweets plant-based?
Sweet Fish, Sour Blast Buddies, Peach Rings, Sourmelon Bites, Cola Gummies and Lollipops are all 100% plant-based and vegan friendly! 🌱 Our Fruity Gummy Bears and Gummy Worms contain gelatin and are not plant-based.
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Are SmartSweets kosher?
Exciting news - Lollipops are currently KOF-K parve certified!
Sweet Fish, Sour Blast Buddies, Peach Rings, Sourmelon Bites and Cola Gummies are plant-based but not Kosher certified.
Our Fruity Gummy Bears and Gummy Worms contain pork-based gelatin and are not Kosher.
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Are SmartSweets safe for those with peanut/tree nut allergies?
Our #KickSugar candy lineup is made without any CFIA (CA) or FDA (US) regulated priority food allergens as ingredients! This includes eggs, milk/dairy, mustard, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, fish, sesame seeds, soy, sulphites, and wheat/gluten.
We try our best to use allergen-free facilities that do not process these major food allergens however some of our products may be made in facilities that handle allergens in other areas. All manufacturing and packaging facilities have robust separation, cleaning, and testing programs to ensure there is no cross-contamination. If there is any risk of cross-contact, we add precautionary allergen statements on our packaging for our consumers to make the best decision for them. For example, our Lollipops are manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, tree nuts, dairy and soy and this is clearly outlined on the product page and packaging.
While we cannot claim our production or packaging facilities are 100% peanut and allergen free, our other products are made in areas of those facilities that can ensure no contamination. Please note that our coconut oil is refined and thus exempt from tree nut labelling as it does not contain any protein content in the finished oil.
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Has the portion size changed?
Heck no! There’s no way we are messing with portion size! Portion size is often used artfully in the food industry so that the labels are as appealing as possible. Ever noticed that the packages get suspiciously smaller over time? Or that a serving is a teeny portion of what is inside? All so the label “looks” good. Well, that’s not happening on our watch. Our 50g bags are always one serving for the whole bag.
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How are you innovating your recipes?
We want to disrupt the candy aisle and offer a radically better alternative to traditional candy. We also want to remove the sugar in a category comprised of 97% sugar! When you have goals this big and bold, it requires a lot of innovation. Innovation requires testing, experimenting and lots of iterations - we just don’t stop! It’s in our DNA.
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Why do you have a variety of recipes for your candy?
We are constantly innovating to determine the best combination of ingredients to create a delicious, low sugar candy that is also tolerable on our tummies! We are also watching the latest ingredient developments so we can seize on opportunities to apply the latest advances in food science to our recipes. We have also evolved our recipes to reflect YOUR feedback on texture and tolerability!
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How do I know if I'm eating your latest and greatest recipe?
Ingredients are clearly labelled on all SmartSweets pouches. While our previous recipe had the flavor profile listed in the top-left corner, the new bags now read Kick Sugar Keep Candy. On the back, there is a stamp stating that we are Female Founded!
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Why do nutritional stats differ on the same candy?
We’ve evolved our recipe to use a different combination of fibers and this has impacted the nutritional stats. For a short period you may find our previous recipe in stores - the nutritional stats on each bag are in accordance with the regulations at the time of production. All SmartSweets - regardless of the recipe - fall below 6 grams of sugar and deliver a healthy amount of fiber, making SmartSweets a radically better alternative to traditional candy!
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Why is offering plant-based options so important to you?
The simple answer is that we know this is important to you - our community - and we want to extend the benefits of a radically better choice to traditional candy to those following plant-based diets, who until now have been extremely limited in the candy they can enjoy.
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Do I need to be careful about how many pouches I consume because of the high amounts of fiber?
Unlike traditional candy where fiber is nowhere to be seen, our candy represents approximately 32-46% of the daily recommended fiber intake. Fiber offers so many benefits but for some of us our digestive systems are particularly sensitive to consuming high quantities of fiber in one sitting. There can be too much of a good thing when it comes to fiber - our previous recipes had a higher fiber content which we learnt from you was tooo high - so we evolved! Word to the wise - if you are looking to increase your fiber - go slow! it’s advised to do so gradually over the course of a few weeks to allow your system to adjust without side effects.
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Are SmartSweets Keto friendly?
While we don't innovate for any specific diet, we know & love that the keto community is part of the mission to #KickSugar and have been extremely mindful of feedback. We worked our hardest to get the net carbs as low as humanly possible while using quality ingredients, up to 92% less sugar than traditional candy, no sugar alcohols, not sneakily messing with package size and ensuring our candy is tummy friendly. We can't wait to hear how SmartSweets works for you!
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Why aren’t certain flavours available in Canada?
We are committed to relentlessly researching, testing, and choosing the most advanced, natural ingredients to create delicious candy you know and love while kicking as many grams of sugar per bag as possible. As we've been innovating in our Candyland kitchen, we learned about allulose, an innovative new low-glycemic index sweetener that tastes like sugar but doesn’t act like sugar in the body. Allulose has been so important in innovating beyond gummy because it crystallizes, much like sugar does, so it opens up the possibilities of what we can create while keeping our pinky promise of delicious candy you can feel good about with no sugar alcohols, artificial sweeteners or added sugar. Unfortunately allulose isn't approved for use in Canada just yet. This isn’t unusual- Canada typically takes longer than the U.S to approve new ingredients but we hope it will catch up soon! We are innovating around allulose and are super excited to be introducing new innovations for you in 2021! Thank you so much for your continued support.
