It's hard to resist the lure of the sweet smell of gummy sweets. We know they're bad for our teeth and everything, but they hit the sweet spot and that's enough to have us drilling through a bag of pic 'n mix in about 10 minutes flat.
But after watching this short film by Belgian filmmaker Alina Kneepkens (opens in new tab), which shows exactly how these sweets are made, you might struggle to bring one to your lips ever again. Because although we know in theory the gelatin used to make these kind of jelly sweets comes from animals (why else would vegetarians steer clear?) we've never actually pictured how gross it is.
You have been warned.
Playing in reverse, the film starts by showing us the finished product: a pack of gummy sweets deliciously doused in sugar, wrapped and ready to go. But then it rolls back in time, and we see the artificial additives going in, the gelatin going in, and how that gelatin is made ... with sheared off animal skin.
In case you didn't know, gelatin is a protein which comes from collagen. And that's found in the tendons, ligaments and tissues of animals.
But before you rule out all chewy sweets, they're not all made from gelatin — there are a number of vegan substitutes such as agar which comes from algae instead (not that that sounds particularly appetizing, mind you).
You enjoy that bag of gummy bears, now.
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