Black Forest Fruit Snacks: Nutrition & Labelgrade C (63/100)
C 63 / 100 — Very low saturated fat, notable sugar load, and very low sodium.
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Black Forest Fruit Snacks delivers 1g of protein and 69.9 calories per 1 POUCH (USDA FDC 2055287). Per 100g that’s 4.3g of protein; per oz, 1.2g. The Labelgrade is C (63 / 100): Very low saturated fat, notable sugar load, and very low sodium.
Why this Labelgrade
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | C- | 56 / 100 | 4.3g per 100g — below the high-protein bar; not the right product for protein hunting |
| Ingredient quality | C+ | 68 / 100 | 16 ingredients; flagged maltodextrin or corn syrup + artificial colors |
| Saturated fat load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0g saturated fat — perfect |
| Sodium load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 15mg per serving (18mg per oz) — low |
| Sugar load | F | 0 / 100 | 12g sugar; USDA omits the added-sugar line, but the ingredients list a sweetener — scored as added, not naturally-occurring |
| Fiber | F | 30 / 100 | 0g fiber, expected for animal-protein products |
| Overall | C | 63 / 100 | Weighted blend: protein 23% · ingredients 21% · saturated fat 18% · sodium 15% · sugar 15% · fiber 8% |
Why the grade looks generous
A C sitting next to a bag of gummies is the most misleading number on this page, so read it carefully. The Labelgrade scores six dimensions, and for a fruit snack the strong marks come almost entirely from absence: no saturated fat (A+), almost no sodium (A+), and modest calories because the pouch is small. Most of the card is rewarding Black Forest for not containing things a fruit gummy was never going to contain. The 1g of protein even nudges protein density up to a C-, which sounds like faint praise but is really just rounding noise — there’s no meaningful protein here. The one dimension that should drive your decision, sugar, is an F (0), because at ~12g per 23g pouch this carries the most sugar of the three brands we grade. A single failing score, averaged against five forgiving ones, still lands at 63.
So use the grade in reverse. The C isn’t telling you this is good food; it’s telling you it’s a small candy with nothing alarming in it — no fat, no sodium problem, no scary additive beyond the dyes. That’s worth knowing. But anyone who reads C as “63% as good as fruit” has been misled by a scale built to rank protein foods against each other, not to separate candy from produce. When the grade and your common sense disagree about a fruit gummy, trust your common sense.
”Made with real fruit juice” and the organic halo — audited
Black Forest leans on two impressions: made with real fruit juice, and a broader organic, dye-free brand identity. The ingredient list on this specific product is worth holding up against both.
The fruit-juice claim is literally true — apple juice from concentrate is the first ingredient, ahead of the sweeteners. That’s better front-of-list company than corn-syrup-first brands keep. But juice concentrate is fruit with the fiber removed and the water boiled off, so it’s essentially fruit sugar in syrup form; right behind it sit corn syrup and table sugar, added on top, and gelatin to gel it. “Made with real fruit juice” tells you where some of the sugar originated, not whether the pouch behaves like fruit. It does not — there’s 0g of fiber to slow any of that 12g of sugar down.
The organic halo is the part to watch hardest, because this is not the organic product. The version graded here lists Red 40, Yellow 5, and Blue 1 synthetic dyes plus gelatin — ingredients that cannot appear in a USDA-certified-organic food. Black Forest does sell a separate organic, dye-free line, and the brand’s reputation rides largely on it, but that reputation doesn’t transfer to this conventional, artificially-colored SKU. If the organic version is what you want, look for the USDA Organic seal on the package; don’t assume the name guarantees it.
How it compares
| Product | Protein per serving | Per 100 g | Per oz | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Forest Fruit Snacks (this product) | 1g | 4.3g | 1.2g | 69.9 |
| Mott’s Medleys Fruit Snacks (Assorted Berry) | 0g | 0g | 0g | 80 |
| Welch’s Fruit Snacks Mixed Fruit | 0g | 0g | 0g | 44.9 |
| Plain cooked chicken breast (benchmark) | — | 31g | 8.8g | ~165 |
Scope
This page covers Black Forest Fruit Snacks (22.4 oz/635 g), UPC 041420013997, as represented in USDA Branded Foods FDC 2055287. Black Forest sells multiple variants in this product line — other sizes, flavors, or fat levels may have different macros and Labelgrade scores. Manufacturers periodically reformulate; always cross-reference the actual package label, especially if you have allergies or dietary restrictions.
Ingredients (from the USDA Branded Foods entry)
APPLE JUICE FROM CONCENTRATE, CORN SYRUP, SUGAR, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH (CORN), GELATIN, ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), LACTIC ACID, CITRIC ACID, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, COCONUT OIL*, SODIUM LACTATE, SODIUM CITRATE, CARNAUBA WAX*, RED 40, YELLOW 5, BLUE 1.
Where to buy
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 1 POUCH
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1 POUCH) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 69.9 |
| Protein | 1g |
| Total Fat | 0g |
| Saturated Fat | 0g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 18g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g |
| Total Sugars | 12g |
| Sodium | 15mg |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Calcium | 0mg |
| Iron | 0mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Fruit Snacks (22.4 oz/635 g) · UPC 041420013997. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains animal-derived ingredients
contains meat, fish, or gelatin
no wheat, barley, rye, or malt detected in USDA ingredient list
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Black Forest Fruit Snacks healthy, or are they candy?
They're candy with a fruit halo. Apple juice from concentrate does lead the ingredient list, but corn syrup and sugar are right behind it and gelatin sets the whole thing into a gummy — that's a candy formula. The C (63/100) Labelgrade looks generous because the score rewards what a gummy lacks (no fat, very little sodium, modest calories) and there's nothing harmful to penalize; it can't penalize the missing fiber and satiety that make real fruit filling. At ~12g of sugar, this carries the most sugar per pouch of the three brands we grade. Treat it as a small sweet, not a fruit serving.
It says "made with real fruit juice" — does that make it a fruit serving?
No. The claim is literally true — apple juice from concentrate is the first ingredient — but it's a marketing statement about an ingredient, not a nutrition claim about the product. Juice concentrate is fruit with the fiber removed and the water boiled off, so the sugar is concentrated; then corn syrup and table sugar are added on top, and gelatin gels it. A real apple carries ~4g of fiber to slow its sugar down. This pouch carries 0g. "Made with real fruit juice" describes where some of the sugar came from, not whether the product behaves like fruit.
Is this the organic Black Forest fruit snack?
No — and this is worth being clear about, because Black Forest markets an organic, dye-free line and the brand name carries that halo. The product on this page (USDA FDC 2055287) is the conventional version: its ingredient list includes Red 40, Yellow 5, and Blue 1 synthetic dyes plus gelatin, none of which belong in a certified-organic product. If you specifically want the organic SKU, check the package for the USDA Organic seal; the macros here describe the standard, artificially-colored product.
How much sugar is in a pouch of Black Forest Fruit Snacks?
About 12g per pouch (USDA FDC 2055287) — roughly 3 teaspoons, the highest absolute sugar of the major fruit-snack brands we grade, in a 23g pouch. USDA's entry omits an added-sugar line, but corn syrup and sugar are named in the ingredients, so we score the 12g as added rather than naturally-occurring. That load is why the sugar dimension grades an F (0) — the weakest single score on the card.
Black Forest Fruit Snacks vs. real fruit or raisins — which is the actual fruit?
Real fruit, or dried fruit like raisins and prunes, is the actual fruit serving. A small box of raisins delivers comparable sweetness plus fiber, potassium, and intact fruit structure; Black Forest delivers 12g of sugar with 0g of fiber, a corn-syrup base, and three added dyes. The fruit snack's only edge is a chewy, candy-like texture. For a portable serving that genuinely counts as fruit, dried fruit is the honest swap.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-05, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 2055287. We re-verify top-traffic pages monthly and update within 7 days when a manufacturer reformulates.