Jolly Rancher Hard Candy Sour Apple
Summary
Jolly Rancher Hard Candy Sour Apple scores 15/100 — tied for the worst-scoring candy in the dataset. Third-party 2025 testing detected 540 ppb arsenic, the second-highest reading across 28 candies tested. Corn syrup + sugar build a pure sugar matrix with zero nutrition. White mineral oil (petroleum-derived) coats the candy to prevent sticking. Owned by The Hershey Company.
At a glance
Contaminants 1
Source: Independent third-party laboratory testing
Arsenic 540 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 540 parts per billion — among the highest readings tested.
Key ingredients 10
Corn SyrupVery Bad
Highly processed liquid glucose from industrial corn refining. First ingredient by weight — this is a pure sugar vehicle.
See more about Corn Syrup →SugarBad
Refined sucrose added on top of corn syrup — double sweetener loading.
See more about Sugar →Malic AcidNeutral
Industrial acidulant for tartness.
See more about Malic Acid →Natural & Artificial FlavorsBad
'Artificial Flavors' is a blanket term for undisclosed synthetic compounds with no ingredient transparency.
See more about Natural & Artificial Flavors →Mineral OilVery Bad
Petroleum-derived oil used as a coating agent. Linked to gastrointestinal disruption; food-grade but originates from the same refining process as motor oil.
See more about Mineral Oil →Acetic AcidNeutral
Flavoring acid.
See more about Acetic Acid →Medium-Chain TriglyceridesNeutral
Coating fat.
See more about Medium-Chain Triglycerides →Lactic AcidNeutral
pH control.
See more about Lactic Acid →Yellow 5Very Bad
Petroleum-derived synthetic dye (tartrazine). California OEHHA linked to neurobehavioral effects in sensitive children. Banned in several EU countries.
See more about Yellow 5 →Blue 1Very Bad
Petroleum-derived synthetic dye (Brilliant Blue FCF). Linked to hyperactivity in children in EU assessments.
See more about Blue 1 →Processing
Ultra-Processed Foods
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