Fruit Roll-Ups and Fruit by the Foot are two popular snacks that have been enjoyed by kids since the 1980s and 1990s. Fruit Roll-Ups were officially released in 1983 and Fruit by the Foot first landed on grocery store shelves in 1991. Below, we will dive into the similarities and differences between these two products. Be sure to vote for your favorite at the end of this article.
Fruit Roll-Ups vs Fruit By The Foot
Ownership
Fruit Roll-Ups and Fruit by the Foot are products of Betty Crocker. The Betty Crocker brand is owned by General Mills. Betty Crocker is associated with other popular food products such as Fruit Gushers, Hamburger Helper, and Bisquick.
Flavors
Fruit Roll-Ups offer more flavor options.
| Fruit Roll-Ups | Fruit by the Foot |
| Flavor Mixers | Strawberry |
| Strawberry Sensation | Flavor Mixers |
| Jolly Rancher | Berry Tie-Dye |
| Sour | Sweet & Fiery |
| Tropical Tie-Dye | Color By The Foot (find in variety pack) |
| Blastin’ Berry Hot Colors | |
| Strawberry Craze Mini Rolls | |
| Cherry Orange Wildfire (found in variety packs) |
Ingredients
Fruit certainly is not the primary ingredient in these products. Corn syrup, maltodextrin, and sugar are the predominant ingredients before fruit as you can see below. You may wish to opt for certain brands of fruit leather if you want to eat fruit snacks with better ingredients.
Fruit Roll-Ups: Strawberry Sensation
- Corn Syrup
- Dried Corn Syrup
- Sugar
- Pear Puree Concentrate
- Palm Oil
- Citric Acid
- Sodium Citrate
- Fruit Pectin
- Monoglycerides
- Malic Acid
- Dextrose
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
- Acetylated Monoglycerides
- Natural Flavor
- Red 40
- Yellow 5 & 6
- Blue 1
Fruit by the Foot: Strawberry
- Sugar
- Maltodextrin
- Corn Syrup
- Pear Puree Concentrate
- Palm Oil
- Carrageenan
- Citric Acid
- Monoglycerides
- Sodium Citrate
- Acetylated Monoglycerides
- Malic Acid
- Xanthan Gum
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
- Locust Bean Gum
- Potassium Citrate
- Natural Flavor
- Red 40
Nutrition Facts
When you look at the nutrition fact of Fruit-Roll-Ups vs Fruit by the Foot, there are a few notable differences. Fruit by the Foot has more calories, carbohydrates, and sugars. However, the serving size of a Fruit by the Foot is 7 grams larger than the Fruit Roll-Ups.
| Fruit Roll-Ups Strawberry: Sensation | Fruit by the Foot: Strawberry | |
| Serving Size | 1 Roll (14g) | 1 Roll (21g) |
| Calories | 50 | 80 |
| Total Fat | 1g | 1g |
| Saturated Fat | 0.5g | 0.5g |
| Trans Fat | 0g | 0g |
| Cholesterol | 0mg | 0mg |
| Sodium | 50mg | 50mg |
| Total Carb | 11g | 17g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g | 0g |
| Sugars | 7g (6g are added sugars) | 10g (9g are added sugars) |
| Protein | 0g | 0g |
| Vitamin C | 8mg (10%) | 9mg (10%) |
Price
We compiled prices of Fruit Roll-Ups and Fruit by the Foot from a selection of stores. As the data shows below, Fruit Roll-Ups averaged a price of $2.12 whereas Fruit by the Foot averaged $2.19. In general, you will pay about the same or slightly more for Fruit by the Foot vs Fruit Roll-Ups based on the below price information.
| Fruit Roll-Ups (10 count, 5 oz Net Wt.) | Fruit by the Foot (6 count, 4.5 oz Net Wt.) | |
| Kroger | $2.12 | $1.99 |
| Walmart | $2.12 | $2.12 |
| Target | $2.29 | $2.29 |
| Meijer | $2.19 | $2.19 |
| H-E-B | $2.18 | $2.31 |
| Albertsons | $2.69 | $2.69 |
| Fry’s | $1.74 | $2.23 |
| Safeway | $1.66 | $1.66 |
| Average Price | $2.12 | $2.19 |
Measurements
Fruit Roll-Ups – Fruit Roll-Ups are about 4 ¾ inches by 4 ¾ inches when flat. They come individually wrapped in a box and are rolled up in their packaging. They can easily be unrolled flat to a thickness slightly greater than a piece of paper.
Fruit by the Foot – They are individually wrapped and boxed. They come tightly rolled but can be unrolled to a length of about 3 feet with a width of about an inch. They have a thickness similar to Fruit Roll-Ups. The below video shows a good visual of Fruit by the Foot.
Taste
It is difficult to determine a taste difference between the two products. For example, Strawberry Fruit Roll-Ups could be switched with Strawberry Fruit by the Foot and we would be none the wiser. Look at the first five ingredients listed above for each strawberry product. They are remarkably similar, which would explain their similar taste. Regardless of the flavor or product you select, you’re going to get a chewy sugary mouthful of a hard to determine fruity taste. They are much more in line with candy as opposed to a healthy dried fruit snack.
Fun Factor
Fruit Roll-Ups – Certain Fruit Roll-Ups have images on them. When you press the image against your tongue, it stamps on a tattoo of that image. It is a ton of fun for many kids and likely even some adults. The below image shows a box of Fruit Roll-Ups with unicorn tongue tattoos.
