US vs UK Skittles | Food Wars | Food Insider

Harry: From calorie counts to serving sizes, we wanted to find out all the differences between Skittles in the UK and the US. This is "Food Wars". In the UK, Skittles come in the following sizes. First up, we have these 18 gram fun size bags. Then we have these 45 gram bags. Then we have a 125 gram bag of Skittles. Next is what I think is the most common size, a 152 gram bag. Then we have this, a 350 gram More to Share bag. Then we have our largest size, which is this, a 1 kilogram large size sharing bag. And in the US, our Skittles come in these sizes.

The first, the fun size, 10 grams. We got the 61.5 gram bag. Next size, 99 gram box. Yes, the movie package. The size of the action. 113.4 grams. First of the resealable bags, 204.1 grams. This is the Grab n Go. 255.1 grams. The next bag is the sharing size. 442.3 grams. The size of the family. 779.6 grams. Hey, good enough for the Egyptians, good enough for us. Pyramids. Look at them. This is the party bag. 1.4 kilograms. Have you noticed how good I am at serving these Skittles? Can this be a job? Forgive me for being arrogant, but I haven't blurted anything out. The largest size, the jar. 1.53 kilograms.

Now, for the "

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wars

" and for general consumer purposes, the 1 kilogram bag is our largest size. I did want to point this one out though. A super bag of 1.6 kilograms. I was able to find one of these online without too much trouble. I think they are aimed more at vending machine refills than consumers, but yes, you can get 1.6 kilograms of Skittles if you are a big Skittles fan in the UK. We also wanted to check how many Skittles are obtained in each country and also if there is an even distribution of colors. So Joe asked me to count all the Skittles in a 1 kilogram bag and we'll also sort them by color to see how many you get.

What color order makes the most sense in your head? Does the rainbow really have an order of colors? For me, it's kind of a ROYGBIV vibe. I'm more of a CMYK guy. Harry sorts Skittles and asks you about your ASMR day. Ah! Oops. Wow, God! They all run around like they have personality. Keep seeing the yellow and purple color combination and thinking about Waluigi. Wow! Eh and eh. Alright! Okay, now I've sorted them by color. It was satisfying, but it took a long time. Now we have to count them all. So now we have to count them.

And I'm not going to spend all day telling them. So... Two... four... I calculate how much 10 Skittles weigh. Write that down. Step two, weigh each cup, obviously subtracting the weight of the cup. And then take the weight of each cup, divide it by 10. Six... eight... Three, four... Um... It's... After spending way too much time sorting and counting them, we have our final totals. . I feel like we learned something, but I don't know exactly what. What have we learned from that? Uh, don't do that at home. It's a huge waste of time. Today we did some science and that's the most important thing.

Now, although Skittles look the same in both the US and the UK, the flavors are actually different. For example, in the United Kingdom, purple Skittles are flavored with blackcurrant. While in the US, our purple Skittle is grape flavored. In the early 20th century, the United States government banned the cultivation of black currants because it was spreading a wood-destroying disease. Now, the ban has been lifted, but blackcurrants never became popular as a flavor here. It is certainly not as popular as grapes. When it comes to Tropical Skittles in the UK, the colors and flavors are as follows: Pineapple, Orange, Fruit Punch, Watermelon and Passion Fruit.

In the US, our tropical Skittles flavors are strawberry star fruit, which is pink; mango tangelo, which is orange in color; yellow is a banana berry; We don't have a purple one, so we have a green one, and it's lime kiwi; and finally here is the pineapple and the passion fruit, which is blue. Skittle flavor controversies continue with our Wild Berry Skittles in the UK. A, because they contain cherry, which is not a berry at all, and also B, because the colors are everywhere. We have cherry on the purple. Apple and blackberry with the green one. Blueberry is the light blue.

The raspberry is the rose. And then strawberry and kiwi for the red. Our US wild berry flavors are somewhat similar to those in the UK, and we also have a non-berry cherry. They even added "savage" to the title, but I don't believe it. berry punch; the raspberry, which is blue, I don't know why; wild cherry, which is not a berry; the green boy is a melon berry; and the pink at the end here is strawberry. Now, if I had anything to say about this, I think I would mix the colors too. I think raspberry blue would make more sense than the current blue, which is blueberry, in my opinion.

I think blueberry would make more sense than purple, because as we all know, blueberry isn't actually that blue. It is more of a purple color. And then I would probably put pink as cherry. Full flavor line. Ah! And of course, we have Skittles Crazy Sours. In the UK, our Sour Skittles come in the following flavor and colour: we have cherry like purple; We have green apples that are acidic like the green one; the sour pineapple is the yellow one; the sour raspberry is the rose; and the sour mandarin is the orange one. In the United States, the sour flavors of Skittles are also different.

So, purple is grape. This one says "the original lime" so I guess the green is now lime. Yellow is lemon. Red, strawberry. And orange. Do you think they are as bitter as the packaging suggests? Come on. Oh, it's bitter. Bleh! Unfortunately, a very sensible level of acidity. We reached out to Skittles to ask about their flavor options and they mentioned that they had a variety of methods for choosing flavors, one of which is something called "social listening," which I assume means checking social media. And due to popular complaints on social media, the green Skittle reverted to lime after 10 years of being a green apple.

With all this talk about flavors, it's worth noting that some people claim that all Skittles may taste the same. In an interview with NPR, neuropsychologist Don Katz, who specializes in taste, said, quote, "it's cheaper to make things smell and look different than to make them actually taste different." Dot dot dot. So, Skittles have different fragrances and different colors, but they taste exactly the same. This shouldn't come as a big surprise to you, because if you've been stuffed up from a cold or allergies, you may know that without your sense of smell,

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can seem pretty tasteless.

This is because our sense of smell is responsible for a large percentage of what we taste. General flavors such as salty, bitter, sweet, sour, can be detected without smelling. However, more complex flavors, such as fruit, require both taste and smell to be recognized. Okay, Joe, I'm curious. Let me see how many of these original Skittles I can correctly identify without my sense of sight or smell. So now, with the help of Yuelei or Joe, I'm going to go ahead and do this, and can someone put five Skittles in front of me and I'll see if I can determine if the mask goes over the nose?

Let's see if I can determine the flavor. Ready? No. I mean, it's my mouth and my face. Yuelei! What is happening with my breathing and my mouth that is giving me conjunctivitis? Harry: Oh my god. You are a sick person. Joe: Hey, Joe, are you going to try to trick me by repeating flavors? So I blindfolded myself. Charlie has placed five Skittles in front of me. I don't know what colors they are. I will also hold my nose, eat them and try to identify them. First. Orange? Alright, wish me luck. I can't really taste much. That's hard!

Wow. I'm literally just guessing. I'm going to turn purple. I have no idea. Okay, I need another one to compare. That makes it much, much more difficult. I think I got more berry vibes from the second one. I think the first one was a little more acidic, so maybe it was orange or lemon. I can not decide. Red? I have no idea about that one. Yellow lemon? Latest. Hey, red. This is much harder than I thought it would be. I'm going to choose orange, strawberry, lemon, green and blackcurrant, maybe. Three out of five! As I did?

I couldn't taste anything. Do you want to try it? That was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. I honestly think if I saw it and was still logged in, I'd be like, "Yeah, I got orange." However, vision doesn't always play a big role in flavor identification. In June 2016, Skittles launched a limited edition all-white version of their product to celebrate London Pride. They've continued to do this ever since, stating on the packaging that during Pride, "only one rainbow matters." So they ditch the rainbow to honor Pride month, which is a nice gesture on paper.

However. Apparently, some people took this to mean white pride and went on Twitter and expressed that observation. The good news is that, despite this, most people appreciated the gesture, so they continued doing it. If they are all the same color, how do you know which Skittle you are buying? In reality, it's much harder to be sure. They have a fruity flavor, but they don't taste as fruity. I almost thought, wait, they left out the flavor too? Now, since I can't see the color, I'm not really sure what flavor it is. Here are all the Skittles products you'll find in the UK that you won't find in the US.

Here are all the US-exclusive Skittle flavors you can't get in the UK. We will start from this end and continue moving forward. So in the UK, we can get Skittles Giants. Now, apparently these are Skittles that are three times the size of regular Skittles. They look pretty beefy, I'd say. They are similar to regular UK Skittles in that they still have the hard shell and have the same flavors as the regular ones. However, they apparently also have a softer interior. My problem with this is that they have a softer interior, however, it reminds me a lot of bubble gum.

So everything in my brain is now screaming at me not to swallow this. I don't think I like that. If, for some reason, you don't like the crunchy shell of your Skittles, then we've got you covered, because in the UK you can get Skittles Chewies, which are Skittles without the shell. Something about this seems a little off to me. They just look like wax balls. And again, something in your brain screams at you and says, "Please don't eat this candle." For some reason, the flavor doesn't come through as strongly as a regular Skittle. I feel like they should cover them with something to keep them from bunching up in the bag.

Right now there is something slimy on my tongue, something I don't like. I'm disappointed. Not impress me. This one, I mean, is it really a flavor? It is a mix of wild and tropical berry flavors. If ever there was a lazier exclusive. We take the two things we already have and put them in a bag. Next up, we have Shriekers, Yuelei. "Beware! If you dare. Squeaky. Some are so bitter they'll make you scream." OK. That? That? Are you screaming? Is it so bitter that you can't stand it? It can't be that you're not sure. No one has screamed even once.

These expired in May. We have the American mix. Nobody is more patriotic than me. I bleed red, white and blue. Mostly red. But this seems a bit condescending. Because it seems like they just put the flag on it. What is the United States combination? Five flavors, three colors. Oh! These are stale. Yes, they may have done this several years ago. Latest exclusive flavor, we have Brightside Skittles. Do you remember that song "Mr. Brightside"? ♪ Wee-hoo, I look like Mr. Brightside ♪ I love The Black Keys. But it's kiwi, banana, watermelon, paradise punch, tangerine and pink lemonade. That sounds a lot like the tropical mix, doesn't it?

These are dusty. Compared to an apparently much cooler American one. I should have Googled how old they are. He does it. These taste like shampoo. Our next UK exclusive is Squishy Cloudz. It's another Skittles product where they got rid of the shell and went for a softer, chewier approach. In the UK these come in both standard flavors and Crazy Sours flavours. I don't know what I was expecting, but we got some really soft, cushiony Skittles, I guess. It feels weird to call this Skittle, but. I prefer these to the other two I just tried. So, as you can see, the sour version has this type of granulated sugar exterior, while the classic version does not.

Bowling gummies. OK. At first glance, it looks like they're taking away its Skittleyness character. I mean, they only make round gummies now. What is the difference between Skittle gummies and other fruit flavored gummies? And how much does the shape affect the flavor? Look how many vegetables I got in one pinch! Yes. I am a fan of gummies. I do not know why. I love gummies. These are not very good. I know that gummies are perhaps the most unnatural flavor delivery system. But these taste unfortunately manufactured. Why do gummies sweat? Skittles, I think you have somemore than learning about the manufacture of gummies, because these are simply not gummies.

My guys in Sweden are still kicking your ass with their fish. I'm sorry. We then move on to the latest UK exclusive which is the Skittles Stix ice cream bars. The back of the package describes them as "Fruity-flavored ice cream with a secret sugar pearl center." Should I just bite it all off? Charlie: Yeah. I feel like these are all different flavors of ice cream. And I'm not enjoying one of them and I don't know which one it is. Skittles frozen popsicles. These have been in my freezer for a month. I'm excited to get rid of them.

Orange, because it is here on its side. Every summer at the pool just trying to open this thing, just sitting there. Take me back, baby. Those can stay in the past. Last but not least, these guys. Singles to go. Small powder drinks. Make some juice. Well, it's not real juice, is it? Then you have these little bags of flavor. That's funny. They didn't even bother with the lemon. They say, "who cares." A little green apple juice. Who doesn't love a little green apple juice? Fun. Yes, very natural looking. This should be placed in a water bottle.

Uh oh! It definitely has a strong smell. Finally they did it. All the delicious flavor of green apple candy in your water. These are terrible. You must be wondering the same thing as me. I would have 100% done this as a kid. The moment I see them, I think, "I'm going to put them all in one and swallow it." Oh, it's turning like a vomit brown color, see? This right here is called testing the rainbow. Drink the rainbow! I'll have one more sip. Like a good wine. Why... wah! You can also get Skittles gum and kosher Skittles.

Original Skittles in the UK contain the following. Original Skittles in the US contain: Artificial colors such as Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6 and Blue 1 are restricted in the UK because studies have linked them to hyperactivity and attention deficit In the kids. Foods and drinks containing these products in the UK must carry a warning label about these potential adverse effects, meaning most manufacturers will simply avoid using them. But not here. Furthermore, one chemical that will not be consumed in the EU in the short term is titanium dioxide. The European Food Safety Authority concluded that it could no longer be considered safe when used as a food additive.

Specifically, the panel concluded that titanium dioxide particles "have the potential to induce DNA strand breaks and chromosomal damage." That? Just feel my particles just pshh. Harry: Breaking news comes live from the Food Wars news desk. Shortly after filming this episode, Mars Inc. was hit with a class action lawsuit in the US. The lawsuit alleges that Skittles are "unfit for human consumption" due to the presence of titanium dioxide. The lawsuit points out the EFSA ruling, as well as the fact that Mars itself had pledged to remove artificial coloring from its products in 2016, a promise they have since backtracked on.

Mars isn't backing down just yet, telling the New York Times that its use of titanium dioxide "meets strict quality and safety requirements set by food safety regulators, including the FDA." We'll have to wait and see how the trial plays out to see if there is any connection to food safety laws around titanium dioxide in the US and potentially even the UK. In slightly better news, standard Skittles contain no animal-based gelatin, making them vegan-friendly. In the UK, a 45 gram bag of Skittles contains 179 calories. This whole bag is 250 calories, then. Let's quickly count them and calculate the calorie count per Skittle.

How many

skittles

are there in a bag? Fifty-two. By my count, a 45 gram bag in the UK contained around 52 Skittles. That means the calorie count per Skittle is 3.44. That's 4.24 calories per Skittle. Regarding sugar content, this bag contains 66.4% of the recommended daily amount. That seems like a lot. You have to grow up in the United States. Ours is 90%. In the US, they have Brightside Skittles for when you get out of your cage and have done well. You know, you bros, people who go to town with a bag of Skittles. Just sitting around a table eating in silence.

Hmm. Sugar.