Sunkist Fruit Gems, the coin-shaped kosher jelly candies ubiquitous in American synagogues for bar and bat mitzvahs, have been discontinued by parent company Jelly Belly. Ferrara, the Italian-owned parent company, attributed the cancellation to a lack of consumer demand across the United States following the production halt in May.
A specific ritual has played out across American Jewish communities. As a young congregant concludes reading their Torah portion on the bima, audience members pass around small, individually wrapped sweets. When the reading ends, the newly minted adult is pelted with the treats. For most synagogues, those sweets were Sunkist Fruit Gems.
That era is coming to a close. Parent company Jelly Belly, based in Fairfield, California, and purchased in 2023 by Ferrara, which is in turn owned by Italian candy purveyor Ferrero, stopped producing the fruit candies in May. A Ferrara representative explained the decision directly when contacted by eJewishPhilanthropy, pointing to a drop in nationwide sales as the driving factor behind the discontinuation. Believe it or not, it’s due to lack of consumer demands across the country,
a representative said. If something doesn’t perform, [the company] move[s] onto something else.
Why Fruit Gems Won the Synagogue Market
The popularity of the candy within the Jewish community was not accidental. The treats occupied a specific sweet spot, fulfilling three distinct requirements for synagogue life: they were kosher, they were soft enough not to cause welts on the foreheads of 13-year-olds, and they came individually wrapped so they would not stick to the floor after being showered over participants.
In fact, Northern California school children frequently tour the Fairfield facility where Jelly Belly and Fruit Gems are manufactured as part of a typical educational outing. Rabbi Gershon Albert of Beth Jacob Congregation in Oakland noted that the community had previously purchased these candies directly from the factory.
The founder of the YeahThatsKosher blog, Dani Klein, shared with JNS that he is actively investigating the kosher certification of potential substitutes. There’s a lot of nostalgia with this product,
he said. It’s a staple for the Jewish community. I can’t think of many bar or bat mitzvahs that I’ve attended where these candies were not thrown and given out.
The custom of showering bar and bat mitzvah participants with sweets stems from an older tradition of throwing fruit, nuts, grain, or sweets at newlyweds during an aufruf, a pre-wedding celebration in the synagogue. That historic practice originates from a Talmudic custom intended to wish couples prosperity and fertility, a tradition that adapted to modern synagogue life using soft fruit jellies.
Rabbis Stockpile Remaining Inventory
News of the cancellation caught local religious leaders off guard, sparking immediate buying. Rabbi Chai Levy of Congregation Netivot Shalom in Berkeley, California, reacted to the news by immediately ordering 50 pounds of the remaining stock. We should be set until the AI apocalypse,
she said, or until another product becomes available.
Other regional leaders shared that sentiment. Rabbi Mark Bloom of Temple Beth Abraham in Oakland expressed dismay upon learning the news, stating, Noooo, noooo! We should get a bajilion, like as many as we can at this moment. Because what other soft kosher candies are there? Wow. Brutal. Absolutely brutal.
Rabbi Daniel Stein of Congregation B’nai Shalom in Walnut Creek confirmed that his community regularly showers bar and bat mitzvah participants with the jellies, responding, Oh my goodness! Wow. OK. I guess we should stock up.
In Berkeley, Rabbi Zvika Krieger of Chochmat HaLev put in a large bulk order to build a temporary stockpile, noting, Just saw the news about them being discontinued, put in a big bulk order so now we have [a] stockpile!!!
The Search for a Replacement Candy
As existing inventories dwindle, congregational leaders and community members are vetting alternative sweets to carry on the tradition.
- Sunsations Assorted Fruit Jel Candies, which carry a Circle K kosher certification.
- Clever Candy Fruit Jelly Jewels, manufactured by Nassau Candy.
- Mini Laffy Taffy, though some rabbis consider them slightly too hard for throwing at children.
- International alternatives including Yogueta and Elite Toffee Brachot from Israel, and Gelo from Greece.
- Pizazz Fruit Slices, which are found in Canada.
- Liebers Fruit Jewels, a kosher brand.
For now, Dani Klein and other community observers are keeping a close watch on the market as new alternative products emerge to fill the void. I’m excited to learn about the new dupe product,
he told JNS. Whether any single replacement can capture the widespread affection and practical utility of the original remains an open question for synagogues nationwide.