Black Forest Gummy Bears
Summary
Black Forest Gummy Bears score 27/100. Third-party 2025 testing detected 370 ppb arsenic. Notably this product uses natural colors (black carrot, turmeric, annatto) and real fruit juice concentrate — genuinely cleaner label than most competitors on this list — but the arsenic contamination overrides those advantages. Corn syrup is still the first ingredient. Owned by Ferrara Candy Company. An organic Black Forest variant tested clean and is not scored here.
At a glance
Contaminants 1
Source: Independent third-party laboratory testing
Arsenic 370 ppb High
Detected at a high level — at or above health-based exposure limits. Regular exposure at this level is a genuine health concern. No safe level of arsenic exposure exists; chronic exposure is linked to increased cancer risk (lung, skin, kidney, bladder), cardiovascular disease, and neurodevelopmental harm in children.
Independent third-party testing detected arsenic at 370 parts per billion — a significant contamination level.
Key ingredients 10
Corn SyrupVery Bad
First ingredient — industrial glucose.
See more about Corn Syrup →SugarVery Bad
Second sweetener.
See more about Sugar →Fruit Juice from Concentrate (Apple, Lemon, Pineapple, Orange, Strawberry)Neutral
Juice concentrate — still added sugar but with trace micronutrients.
See more about Fruit Juice from Concentrate (Apple, Lemon, Pineapple, Orange, Strawberry) →GelatinNeutral
Animal-derived collagen binder.
See more about Gelatin →Citric AcidNeutral
pH stabilizer.
See more about Citric Acid →Lactic AcidNeutral
pH stabilizer.
See more about Lactic Acid →Natural FlavorsNeutral
Proprietary flavors.
See more about Natural Flavors →Black Carrot Juice Concentrate (Color)Good
Natural plant-based color — avoids petroleum dyes.
See more about Black Carrot Juice Concentrate (Color) →Turmeric (Color)Good
Natural plant-based color with antioxidant properties.
See more about Turmeric (Color) →Annatto (Color)Good
Natural plant-based color from achiote seeds.
See more about Annatto (Color) →Processing
Ultra-Processed Foods
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