Here's What The Flavor Of White Haribo Gummy Bears Actually Is

Many studies have been conducted on the correlations between color and flavor. Red, for instance, is the most consumer-coveted hue for sweets. While most Haribo Goldbears colors are intuitively indicative, there was some internet uproar when people were surprised to learn that the green gummy bears are actually strawberry-flavored. But with that settled and all others accounted for, one question remains: What does the white (or clear) bear taste like? It turns out, this translucent treat has a tropical inflection — it's pineapple-flavored.

The mystery of the true flavors of Haribo Goldbears is a secret hidden in plain sight, as the profiles of each are printed on every gold package of the iconic chewy delights. Apparently though, there is some variation in different markets, and to further confuse things, the German bags of Goldbears do actually contain a green apple flavor (and are also made with natural colors rather than their American counterparts, which rely on artificial agents). Raspberry and strawberry in the German mix are red, but slightly different shades. And while nearly a third of newly released candies in the U.S. are a shade of red, bending toward this consumer color bias, the white pineapple Goldbears get a lot of love, too. They are in fact so popular that Haribo released a single-flavor package of this variety for superfans on the bears' 100th birthday.

While the green strawberry bear may have gotten the lion's share of attention, and may seem perhaps less deceiving than the truth about Skittles, which are actually all the same flavor but are scented and colored differently (as a cost-cutting measure), the pineapple revelation has generated plenty of commotion online. Users have taken to X, formerly known as Twitter, with comments like, "I NEVER KNEW THE CLEAR GUMMY BEARS WERE PINEAPPLE FLAVOURED?! MY LIFE HAS BEEN A LIE." One user was conflicted, writing, "I was today years old when I found out that clear gummy bears are pineapple flavored. I don't like pineapple but love these. Now I'm confused."

What does all this shock say about us as tasters? It seems clear that there are associations between how we interpret and connect color and flavor, and the ways in which our brains perceive and project taste based on what we see. In particular, people generally view red as an indication of sweetness and green as sour, while bitter flavors are linked to black and brown (think licorice). And while some have speculated that the pineapple Goldbear is another fruit flavor entirely, the most common association with the color white is, perhaps unsurprisingly, salt. A salty gummy bear? Now that would be a real shocker (though maybe not to snackers who favor Scandinavia's salty licorice).

The flavors and colors may be a bit confusing, but Haribo can probably do what it wants with gummy bears, as the company was the one to invent them. In fact, the most recent internet outcry over the green gummy bear revelation came around the same time that the brand celebrated its iconic product's 100th anniversary.

The name Haribo itself isn't some German vocabulary word, but another creation of its founder, who conflated the beginnings of his first and last name — Hans Riegel — with his hometown of Bonn, Germany. Haribo started in 1920, when Hans decided to strike out on his own after learning the ins and outs of confectionery at another brand. Hans' wife, Gertrude, was the sole employee of the company in the first year, and headed up distribution by making deliveries by bike.

Haribo gummy bears, now called Goldbears, were introduced a few years later in 1922, and in honor of their centennial, the company released a version of these familiar candy mammals gone wild, wearing cone-shaped party hats. Today, the company has 16 production facilities around the globe, from its original home of Germany to South Korea and Brazil and, as of 2023, the U.S. More than 700 million bears are birthed weekly and reach retailers thanks to the work of thousands of employees. But far be it from the brand to rest on its laurels; in 2023, Haribo introduced wild berry flavors including wild cherry and blueberry.