What You're Really Sucking On When Having A Jolly Rancher

Jolly Rancher candies can take you back to childhood when they give a huge burst of tart flavor to your taste buds. These days, Jolly Ranchers can be melted or broken to make festive holiday desserts. You can even chew on Jolly Rancher gummies or opt for two Jolly Rancher flavors in one piece of candy.

The name Jolly Rancher, which came from an ice cream store by the same name in Colorado, was meant to suggest a friendly, Western feeling; but the candy maker's original cinnamon fire stick candies were the big seller. Today, the most popular flavor of Jolly Rancher is watermelon, but you won't find a single bit of watermelon in a Jolly Rancher.

It shouldn't be too much of a surprise to learn that a Jolly Rancher is mostly corn syrup and sugar. These sugars, along with some added flavors and colors, are boiled and then cooled to create these hard candies. Health Digest asked Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Lena Bakovic of Top Nutrition Coaching about how the ingredients used in Jolly Rancher candies can impact your health.

Three pieces of Jolly Rancher candies have 70 calories, but all of those calories come from sugar. You won't get any other nutrients aside from 11 grams of added sugar, said Bakovic. "They are more or less empty calorie ingredients (just calories and nothing else!)," she said. "Excessive consumption of simple carbohydrates such as sugar and corn syrup can lead to weight gain, and may particularly be harmful to individuals living with diabetes in that they contribute to the raising of blood sugars."

How much sugar is too much? The American Heart Association says men should limit added sugar to 36 grams a day. Women should keep their added sugar at 25 grams or less. That means those three pieces of Jolly Ranchers could easily chip away at your daily sugar budget without adding any vitamins, minerals, or fiber. Although high fructose corn syrup is usually vilified for being more unhealthy than table sugar, they are metabolically the same. Both sugar and corn syrup can lead to obesity, liver problems, and high triglycerides.

Because there isn't watermelon in a watermelon-flavored Jolly Rancher, its color has to come artificially. Jolly Ranchers have Red 40, Yellow 5 and 6, and Blue 1, depending on the flavor. "Although approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in specific quantities, dyes such as Red 40, Yellow 5, and Blue 1 have been studied for their role in hyperactivity in children," Bakovic said. "The scientific evidence is variable, but there certainly has been a correlation, especially for kids who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)."

In September 2024, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the California School Food Safety Act, which bans Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3 from food and drinks at California public schools. Although the law doesn't ban foods, it mandates food manufacturers to replace these artificial colors with natural sources like carrots and beets (per NBC News).

"Furthermore, in certain other countries these dyes are not approved for use in food," Bakovic said. The United Kingdom, Norway, France, Austria, and Finland have banned many of these artificial colors. Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Red 40 are allowed in other countries in Europe, but manufacturers must identify foods with these colors with a warning label about their risk to children.

Although Jolly Ranchers have no fat, you might be surprised to learn that they do have mineral oil. Granted, there is just a trace of it. It prevents gummy candies from sticking to each other. Jolly Ranchers might also get their shiny polish from a hint of mineral oil.

Mineral oil, which comes from petroleum, must go through a refining process before it's used in cosmetics, cleaning products, pharmaceutical-grade ointments, and food (it can even be used as a laxative to get you to poop). Aside from being found in Jolly Ranchers, mineral oil is a food additive used in baked goods, frozen meats, pickle brine, and dehydrated fruits and vegetables. It's also used to coat fruits and vegetables (per Michigan State University). 

You won't find a lot of mineral oil as a food additive, however, because the U.S. Food & Drug Administration only allows it in small amounts. The FDA considers mineral oil to be safe in foods as long as food manufacturers follow purity testing requirements.

Many foods, including Jolly Ranchers, have natural and artificial flavors. Malic acid is another ingredient that helps to flavor this candy, giving Jolly Ranchers their tart flavor. Fruit naturally has malic acid. It's also an alpha hydroxy acid that can exfoliate skin cells and smooth out your complexion, so you might find malic acid in some cosmetics. Malic acid can also help with dry mouth, which is why you might pop a Jolly Rancher when you're feeling parched.

Malic acid is associated with the Krebs cycle, which is a cellular process that breaks down nutrients for energy. You can buy malic acid as a supplement. People take malic acid for fatigue and fibromyalgia, but there isn't enough research to support malic acid's effectiveness for these conditions. If you take malic acid, one precaution is that it could lower your blood pressure. You won't get enough malic acid in a Jolly Rancher, however, to have any medicinal effect.

Although the Environmental Working Group ranks Jolly Ranchers a 9 out of 10 in terms of nutrition, ingredients, and processing concerns, you could probably do worse when it comes to candy. You'd expect to see sugar and other unhealthy ingredients in many candies, but Jolly Ranchers have less sugar than a Snickers or an Almond Joy. Additionally, Skittles not only have more sugar than Jolly Ranchers, but they also have many artificial colors and flavors.

Some candies are made without artificial colors. YumEarth makes organic hard candies that are similar to Jolly Ranchers. These candies have organic cane sugar and organic brown rice syrup (yes, these are still added sugars), but their color comes from carrot, apple, blackcurrant, radish, and turmeric extract.

If you want to avoid added sugar, there are plenty of sugar-free candies to choose from as well. Jolly Rancher has Zero Sugar Hard Candy that isn't low in calories, but it's made with isomalt and polyglycitol syrup rather than sugar and corn syrup. Be aware, however, that these sugar alcohols can cause gastrointestinal problems such as gas and diarrhea. 

The World Health Organization advises against eating artificial sweeteners because they can increase your risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and early mortality. If you're craving something sweet without added sugar or artificial colors, it might be best to eat fruit.