What Flavor Is Juicy Fruit Gum Supposed To Be?

First introduced by Wrigley in 1893, Juicy Fruit has endured as one of the most popular gum brands on the market. Its sweet, fruity flavor you can't quite put your finger on has captivated gum-chewers worldwide, begging the question, what exactly is the elusive fruit in Juicy Fruit? While the gum's packaging ambiguously lists, "natural and artificial flavors," some online digging reveals a 2002 post on The Straight Dope message board, sharing a response from the Wrigley Consumer Affairs Coordinator. The message states: "... I'm afraid we can't be very specific because, for competitive reasons, we consider our Juicy Fruit flavoring formula to be a trade secret. I can, however, tell you that the mixture of fruit flavors in Juicy Fruit is comprised of predominately lemon, orange, pineapple, and banana notes." 

It's possible you haven't picked up on all these flavors in the gum, only noting that it tastes tropical. Indeed, it has even been compared to the taste of jackfruit — a large tropical fruit grown in Asia, Africa, and South America. Some people speculate that Juicy Fruit smells like jackfruit because both contain isoamyl acetate, a chemical that gives off a banana/pear odor. Isoamyl acetate is found naturally in some ripe fruits and commonly used to flavor food. However, the chemical is not a confirmed ingredient in Juicy Fruit gum.

Juicy Fruit has a long history that includes interesting quirks besides its mysterious flavor. For instance, did you know that Juicy Fruit gum existed during the gilded age? In the late 19th century, William Wrigley Jr. was selling soap and packaging it along with free packs of gum as an incentive. Ultimately, he found his customers enjoyed the gum more than the soap, so he pivoted into selling gum as his primary product. In 1893, Wrigley introduced Juicy Fruit at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Spearmint and Doublemint came to market shortly after. 

Another quirky historical fact about Juicy Fruit gum is it was the first grocery item to be scanned with a Universal Product Code (UPC). A pack of the fruity gum was scanned at an Ohio supermarket in 1974 thanks to an invention that automated the checkout process. It's just another example of how ubiquitous Juicy Fruit has remained over the years. 

Alongside Big Red gum, Toys R Us, and Kit Kat, Juicy Fruit has one of the most memorable jingles of the 1980s ("The taste is gonna move ya"). In 2019, in an attempt to market to a new generation, Mars Wrigley Canada asked Canadians to vote for their favorite revamped version of the iconic jingle (country, R&B, hip hop, or pop). Meanwhile, in another effort to appeal to modern gum-chewers, Juicy Fruit was temporarily removed from supermarket shelves in Australia and replaced with a sugar-free version.