Double 'D' Sugar-free Fruit Chews product reviews

I have an incredibly sweet tooth, but have been trying to eat healthier, without quitting the treats cold turkey. I saw the Double 'D' sugar free candy range, and noticed that they had some Fruit Chews in their range, I usually have Starburst on hand for a sugar hit, so was keen to see if I could possibly substitute with these.

The packaging is coloured with pastel colours, and shows an image of the fruit chews which are pastel too. These fruit chews have all natural colours and flavours, are sugar free, gluten free, and dental friendly. The fruit chews have natural stevia sweetener in the ingredients, and each one is individually wrapped. The nutrition information states that there are approximately 5 servings per pack, each serving 2 pieces. It needs to be pointed out that this product contains Isomalt (derived from the natural sugar beet) and there is a warning on the packet that states, excessive consumption may have a laxative effect and/or cause stomach discomfort.

I took out a fruit chew from the packet and it easily unwrapped from the wrapper, the first one was a nice pastel pink one, it was a firm rectangle, I popped it in my mouth and chewed it easily. There was a slight fruity taste but it was very subtle, and a slight, weird aftertaste. Next I tried a yellow candy, hoping that this one would have more of a fruity flavour, alas it was also lacking unfortunately. The product is easy to chew, and you don't get the issue of bits getting stuck to your teeth, which is very appealing.

I like the fact that these are sugar free and better for your teeth than normal candy, however I know that my children are very impulsive, and I do not think they would be able to stop at one or two candies. These would be good in my opinion for diabetic people, I would love to see if the company could try making some with a bit more of a flavour punch, as that is why I am not so convinced by this product yet.

I was distracted from tasting these sweets before I had so much as opened the packet because I was intrigued by the contents listing. I had never heard of isomalt but was surprised to see it is derived from sugar beet - how could it then be a substitute for sugar proper? The whole idea was so intriguing that I spent some time learning all I could about it, and was reassured to find that isomalt is converted from sugar but the process causes it to ditch the calories and other unwelcome effects of sugar while retaining much of the sweetness. In a similar manner, maltilol, the other ingredient that was new to me, is derived from starch in corn and other natural foods.

Having done my homework, I opened the packet and tipped out the contents. For the price, there was a very small number of sweets - after all, 72g is not a large amount. However, I don't really have a sweet tooth, so the recommended helping of two pieces would be plenty for me. If I had been eating the whole packet myself, it would have lasted me several days. However, my trusty helpers were at hand to help me out - and, unlike me, there are some very sweet-toothed individuals among them.

The sweets could be seen through the wrappers, but because the colours were quite pale it was hard to tell what fruit flavours had been used. The listing simply said they were all natural flavours, and no colour additives had been used, so there was no technicolour enhancement to help with identification. However, when I looked at the packet again, the illustration on the front included a banana, a strawberry, and a couple of blueberries. Mystery solved!

We all took a sweet and waited to be met with the brassy aftertaste that usually comes with a "low sugar" product. It wasn't there! Every one of us, from sugar connoisseur Mr 11 to occasional sweet eater me, was astounded. The texture, the sweetness, the whole experience were exactly what we would have expected from a regular sweet. The fruit chews were utterly delicious, and that was the unanimous vote. For people who have problems eating regular sugar, these are the answer to their problem. Mr 11 finished his quickly so he could have a second - there were not enough in the packet for everyone to have another, so he got in quickly. I took a second as well as I wanted to make sure I had tried a couple of different flavours.

The price is rather more than that of the average bag of sweets, but then this is not your average product. It is tailor made for people like me who like an occasional sweet but have to limit sugar intake. It is also good for anyone with dental problems because there is nothing in them to cause tooth decay. The only criticism I have is that the fruit flavours were not really strong enough to taste - but that is a minor niggle, and I would prefer natural flavours to exaggerated artificial ones any day. Now I will be looking out for more varieties in this range.

For those that are calorie conscious and logging their intake each day, there is a definite struggle to find sweets and lollies that are "allowed". Realistically everything is allowed, but so many sweets are so calorie-dense that you can only have a single piece, and generally still have to do a whole load of exercise to counteract the intake. So this product was intriguing as it boasts around 15 calories per treat, which is half the calories from a single brazil nut. Not too bad.

Interestingly, the product is made from isomalt. A sugar-related product that I was first introduced to through the Netflix show "Baking Impossible" where engineers were using it to construct and waterproof an edible boat. So isomalt is legit, though it is interesting to see its presence in a soft, chewy form of candy. I had only seen it used as a solid, glass-like structural component.

The item comes in three flavours; banana, strawberry, and berry (can't quite tell if it is blackcurrant or blueberry. It is both sweet and tangy) and they are all individually wrapped. that is quite good in terms of sharing or transporting them around, but it does still make me think of the waste. Could consider applying a freeze-dried berry coating so that they don't stick together and then they wouldn't need the extra packaging then. The flavours feel nostalgic and familiar to the flavours of my childhood, whether it be the banana marshmallows or Uncle Toby's Fruit Rollups. The flavours are present, but not overly strong.

What strikes me the most with this product is the familiarity of the flavours. There is no "this is obviously a sugar alternative" flavour that stands out, and would normally expect from this kind of product. In fact, mixed in with other full-sugar sweets and I wouldn't be able to pick these out. I would very much be fooled that these are a full sugar lolly.

Their texture is quite firm on a cloudy day, but once they warm to the body temperature in your mouth they become very soft and pliable. Like a softer Pascall's Fruit Burst, it softens up very quickly and does have a habit of getting into all of the gaps in your teeth. It lacks the overall stickiness, however, and as it continues to melt in your mouth it easily dislodges itself.

I would have loved for there to be more flavours and more adventurous flavours; much like Pascall's Fruit Bursts, where the appeal comes from the variety of flavours, if the lime and orange flavours were removed, the flavours would feel much more monotonous in the parts of the tongue that the flavours activate. Something with a stronger more intense flavour (read: tropical and/or citrus) would create a better experience overall.

But what can I say? I am a sugar fiend and love my sour and intense flavours. Intense is always the way to win me over. So while this is enjoyable, and would be a good choice for keeping the kids' sweet tooth happy without succumbing to too many calories, for myself, the strength in flavour is not enough to make this a go-to treat.

Double D Sugar Free Fruit Chews come in an attractive plastic packet with pastel colours and a picture of a banana, a strawberry, and either blueberries or blackcurrants (I couldn't tell the difference!) on the front cover. At 72 grams, the packet is relatively small to other packet lollies but on the plus side, these chews are sugar-free, gluten-free, and dental free. The back of the packet informs you that isomalt (never heard of it!) is a sugar alternative for the health conscious and is derived from the natural sugar beet. The lollies are naturally sweetened with Stevia - which I have heard of!

The packet recommends 2 lollies per serve with the pack containing about 5 servings, so 10 chews in total. The pack ripped down the side when I opened it and I was pleasantly surprised to find 11 chews - bonus! In total, there were five banana chews, three strawberry chews, and 3 berry chews. I tried one of the strawberry chews and the waxy wrapper was relatively easy to undo, just a twist and undo. The chew was delicious, flavoursome, and had no artificial aftertaste that some sugar-free lollies have. They were very chewy though and did stick in my teeth so I'm not sure what the dental-free term means! The banana chew was also tasty and not overly banana flavoured like other popular chews. My youngest tried a berry lolly and said she wasn't a fan but when I tried it I loved it - I still couldn't decipher if it was blueberry or blackcurrant flavoured but it was lovely and sweet.

Overall, I was really impressed with the taste of these lollies as they weren't as overpoweringly flavour-wise as some of the other more popular chews are. There was no bitter aftertaste and I couldn't even tell that I was eating a sugar-free chew - awesome! They are expensive for what you get, but if you are looking to control your sugar intake and want a guilt-free sugar treat, these are definitely for you!

Double 'D' sweets have been a favourite of mine for a while now as I try to cut the sugar down in my diet but have still craved those sweets. As well as being sugar-free I noticed that they are also gluten-free.

The Double 'D' sugar-free fruit chews come individually wrapped in a 75g bag. It doesn't seem much but at a serving size of two pieces and a warning in big bold letters that they may have a laxative effect, you don't need many to get the sweet hit. The bag is easy to open with a tear from the top.

Each sweet is individually wrapped in waxed type paper. I didn't find them sticky when unwrapping like some wrapped sweets. I also found on tasting they were very soft. They are more of a pastel colouring, unlike other sweet types that tend to go overboard with the colouring. There were three flavours in this pack, banana, strawberry and blueberry I think. The banana flavour is divine, just the perfect level of banana flavour. The strawberry and blueberry are a more subtle flavour but are still very nice. It would be nice if there were some other flavours like maybe an orange or lemon. But on saying that and the fact there are not many sweets per pack maybe another flavour pack like citrus would be a hit.

At $3.50 for 75g they are not the best buy out there but you don't need a lot. They meet my sweet cravings and have a great taste. It's great to be able to still have a sweet treat while cutting down the amount of sugar I have.

Thanks to inheriting some bad genes, my teeth simply don't handle sticky, chewy foods very well anymore. However, I had heard that these were quite soft, not as chewy as the more mainstream brands, and were a lot more 'healthy' in that they contained very little sugar. So, since I have no fillings left to be yanked free of their moorings, I felt it would be worth giving them a go.

The first thing I noticed was the limited range of flavours - you get three: banana, strawberry and (I think) blackcurrant. It may be blueberry though - it was a bit hard to tell since I am not really one for berries so don't have a library of flavours in my mind to compare against. I was kind of hoping that there might be some citrus flavours in there, as they are by far my favourite. Nonetheless, the lack of variety did nothing to diminish my pleasure, because these tasted pretty good, especially the banana. A very authentic flavour that can be hard to get right without resorting to artificial 'flavour boosters'. The strawberry flavour was mild but pleasant and quite recognisable.

The texture was good too - smooth, a little chewy but not overly sticky, and it was nice to just pop one of the banana ones in my cheek and let the natural warmth and moisture slowly break it down. Frankly, I found myself quite surprised by how much I enjoyed them. But the consequences of my inattention to the number I was eating, as I strove to assess multiple facets in a fast-disintegrating confection, were not to be avoided. The warning about the laxative effect is quite real, and warranted... as I found out in quite a panic at 5am. Do not let yourself get carried away and snarf down a whole packet! That said, these would be a great way to deal with a 'bunged up toddler' - way easier to get them to accept a handful of these than a drink of Cod Liver Oil, or some chemical laxative syrup.

Overall, these are actually quite good, despite a few small issues. Seeing the range of flavours expanding to include citrus and perhaps even some stonefruit - apricot, peach, nectarine - would make me very happy and willing to spend the night within dashing distance of 'the throne' - especially as my body adjusts to the radical change in diet I am trying to enforce on myself.