Regardless What TikTok Says, You Can't Eat The Plastic On Fruit Roll-Ups
On March 20, 2023, TikTok user Holly @hollyberry09 shared a video of herself grabbing a box of Fruit Roll-Ups from her freezer, opening the package, and biting into the frozen candy. However, a comment on the video pointed out that the candies typically have a plastic wrapping to prevent them from sticking to themselves so that they can be rolled out into a flat sheet. Commenters were concerned that Holly had eaten the plastic lining along with the candy.
Holly shared a follow-up video, asking, "Did I get like a new edition?" As she unwrapped it, she said "plastic doesn't freeze, I'm pretty sure," then bit into the candy and said "no plastic for me." Commenters were confused and concerned that she was somehow ingesting the plastic anyway. "I honestly think you're eating the plastic because it's so super thin that it can freeze between the roll," wrote TikTok user @desiree112381.
Even the official Fruit Roll-Ups account got involved, commenting with a simple, "Hold up." But the brand's involvement didn't end there — it made a video of its own in response to Holly.
The company clarified you shouldn't eat plastic
The official Fruit Roll-Ups TikTok account stitched Holly's follow-up video with a demonstration of their own. In the video, the Fruit Roll-Ups employee showed herself grabbing a frozen candy, then showed off the plastic wrapping. When she bit into it, the plastic bent and separated from the candy, but did not crack and break off.
@fruitrollups #stitch with @hollyberry09 legal is making me clarify that you should not attempt to eat plastic #fruitrollup
According to NBC News, a General Mills spokesperson said that consumers "should always remove the plastic wrap before freezing or consuming the product." The article notes that some TikTok users were unwrapping the Fruit Roll-Ups, removing the plastic, and then placing them back in the wrappers to freeze, duping viewers into believing that they did not have any plastic inside.
In Holly's latest video, she showed a bunch of frozen Fruit Roll-Ups and demonstrated that the plastic did not become brittle when frozen, and only the candy itself crumbled. Whether she got lucky and actually had some Fruit Roll-Ups without the plastic liner or she removed it before freezing, it's safe to say she wasn't eating any plastic — and neither should you.