Healthy but disappointing snacks

As an inveterate sweet tooth, I am always on the lookout for snacks that will satisfy my cravings without also leading me to unhealthy choices. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of chocolate, but you don’t want that to become your during-the-day go-to. So I was instantly drawn to these Carmen’s Fruit Straps. They sound close enough to a sweet to hit the spot, but are also 100% fruit. What’s not to love?

Unfortunately, for me, the answer was texture. The concept of the snack is a pretty simple, and indeed old-fashioned one. You can find it in recipes books under something like ‘fruit leather’. Now, back in the old days and the old country, I was quite into foraging, baking and preserving. I did on one occasion attempt to make fruit leather. It’s quite straightforward – essentially boil fruits to a mush, sieve, add honey, and spread out to dry. It was only when it had dried that I realised I’d left out (what ended up being) the crucial ingredient: the honey. The result was a foodstuff that bore greater resemblance to the baking paper it was drying on than anything you’d want to eat. It was like very brittle parchment, and yet also very tough.

Carmen’s haven’t done as badly as that, thank goodness, but their fruit straps aren’t a million miles away from this. Their admirable commitment to pure fruit results in a product that is very tough. I don’t just mean chewy, I mean ‘this will challenge your teeth’. Once you tear a bite off it’s ok, but getting to that point is a bit of a struggle. I’m not the biggest fan of chewy sweets, so it could be that others may find this experience more enjoyable, but for me it really detracted from an otherwise quite flavoursome snack. The taste is certainly there, and in spite of everything I did finish the pack.

Which brings me on to another downside: the size of the product vs the amount of packaging. One box contains five individual packets of two straps, with a net weight of 14g per packet. Yes, a mere 14g. Each of these pairs comes in a plastic, non-recyclable wrapper (the package confirms that it needs to go to landfill, not even soft plastic recycling). Any points you’ve gained for choosing a vegan option is completely wiped out by the disproportionate amount of plastic packaging. When there are so many plastic-free options available, with even companies like Mars getting on board with paper packaging, it feels pretty regressive to still be using plastic.

They’re also pretty expensive for what they are (I think I paid around $6) and how much you get. They’re clearly aimed at the kids’ lunchbox market, with a cringe joke on the side. But for such tiny portions, you’d be getting through quite a few packs a week, and quite a bit of money. Although the texture might help if you’re trying to see off some stubborn baby teeth!

Unfortunately it looks like my quest for healthy snacks will continue. Between the texture, the packaging and the price, Carmen’s Fruit Snaps fall short of the mark. If you’re after a healthy, 100% fruit, zero-plastic snack, you’re better off going for the original: an apple.

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What are your favourite healthy snacks? Although I failed on the fruit leather, I’d still love to try some home-made versions, so please do share any recipes you use in the comments! Thanks very much for reading.