Skittles (confectionery)
 Loose Skittles | |
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 1,680 kJ (400 kcal) |
90.7 g | |
| Sugars | 75.6 g |
| Dietary fibre | 0 g |
4.4 g | |
| Saturated | 3.9 g |
| Trans | 0 g |
0 g | |
| Vitamins | Quantity %DV† |
| Vitamin A equiv. | 0% 0 μg |
| Vitamin C | 29% 26 mg |
| Minerals | Quantity %DV† |
| Calcium | 0% 0 mg |
| Iron | 0% 0 mg |
| Sodium | 1% 15.1 mg |
Amounts converted and rounded to be relative to 100 g serving. | |
| †Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[1] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[2] Source: NutritionData | |
Skittles is a brand of fruit-flavoured sweets, currently produced and marketed by the Wrigley Company,[3] a division of Mars, Inc.
Skittles consist of hard sugar shells imprinted with the letter "S". The interior consists mainly of sugar, corn syrup, and hydrogenated palm kernel oil along with fruit juice, citric acid, and natural and artificial flavors.[4] The confectionery has been sold in a variety of flavor collections, such as Tropical, Wild Berry, Dessert and Sour.
History and overview
Skittles were first made commercially in 1974 by a British company.[5] They were first introduced in North America in 1979 as an import confectionery.[4] In 1982, domestic production of Skittles began in the United States.[4]
Skittles' "taste the rainbow" theme was created by New York ad agency D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles.[6]
On March 2, 2009, Skittles launched a web-based marketing campaign where their official website became a small overlay with options to view different social media sites in the main area, including its official YouTube channel, a Facebook profile, and a Twitter account.[7] The move was debated by people interested in social media.[8][9]
Skittles has one of the most-"liked" brand pages on Facebook, with over 25 million followers. The page's success may be due to its eccentric posts, such as: "Most cacti are just looking for hugs."[10]
Skittles have been involved in two political incidents in the 2010s. In the aftermath of the shooting of Trayvon Martin, protestors used Skittles, which Martin had reportedly been carrying along with AriZona watermelon fruit juice, as a symbol during rallies. Though Mars' brief statement of condolences was criticized by some outlets, such as Adweek, for being too subdued, Mars' response in 2016 to a Skittles-based image macro (which was posted by Donald Trump's presidential campaign as an analogy for immigration) was praised for its tact and directness. MWWPR said Mars' responses could influence public relations best practices.[11]
Varieties
Skittles are produced in a wide variety of flavours and colours, including sour varieties. Skittles has hinted at new flavour releases on its Facebook page, using such statuses as "Locking myself in the Rainbow kitchen until I see some results!" A 2011 posting contained confirmation of a new flavor: "Putting the last touches on a new Skittles flavor. Tweak the Rainbow."[12] In 2013, Skittles replaced the lime-flavoured Skittles with green apple, causing a backlash from some consumers. The lime became part of their Darkside packets, which were discontinued in 2015 and followed up by their Orchards packets, which were then discontinued in 2017. Lime is now currently part of the "Long Lost Lime" packets that came out in summer 2017 and 2018.
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Skittles -
Tropical Skittles, one of the first variations available -
Wild Berry Skittles, released in 1989
See also
References
- ^ United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". Retrieved 2024-03-28.
- ^ National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Food and Nutrition Board; Committee to Review the Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium (2019). Oria, Maria; Harrison, Meghan; Stallings, Virginia A. (eds.). Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. The National Academies Collection: Reports funded by National Institutes of Health. Washington, DC: National Academies Press (US). ISBN 978-0-309-48834-1. PMID 30844154.
- ^ "Skittles". Wrigley. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
- ^ a b c "Skittles". Wrigley. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
- ^ "SKITTLES Bite Size Candies Backgrounder". Mars North America Newsroom. 23 August 2005. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009.
- ^ Ives, Nat (July 9, 2004). "Skittles overhauls a familiar theme to encourage experiencing the candy, not just tasting it". The New York Times.
- ^ Steel, Emily (March 3, 2009). "Skittles Cozies Up to Social Media". Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Capell, Kerry (March 8, 2009). "When Skittles Met Twitter". BusinessWeek.
- ^ Burkitt, Laurie (March 12, 2009). "Skittles' Stupid Social Media Trick". Forbes.
- ^ Eichenwald, Kurt (May 2013). "Facebook Leans In". Vanity Fair.
- ^ McGregor, Jena (September 22, 2016). "Skittles can't seem to escape political controversies". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
- ^ Skittles (January 1, 2011). "Putting the last..."
External links
- Official U.S. website
- UK Site at Wrigley
- Former official US website as of 14 February 2008 (courtesy of the Internet Archive)
- Skittles nutritional information and ingredients
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