A shout out to my blogging friend Brad, for making me aware of this story. Brad is a gifted poet, and you can find his poems at commonsensiblyspeaking.
The story he sent me is not the kind of nonsense you would find on his blog, but everything is fair game on Borden’s Blather.
The story is actually a few years old, but I must have missed it when it first came out. And when the news came out, it apparently just shattered some people’s worlds.
A Brandeis University neuropsychologist, Don Katz, who specializes in taste, claims that Skittles, despite their many colors, are all actually the same flavor. Most gummy candies are too. And so are Froot Loops.
Here’s what Katz had to say about the situation:
“The Skittles people, being much smarter than most of us, recognized that it is cheaper to make things smell and look different than it is to make them actually taste different. So, Skittles have different fragrances and different colors — but they all taste exactly the same.”
Katz says this works because our brains are used to processing certain sensory cues together. For example, our brains associate the color yellow, a lemon smell, and a slightly acidic taste with each other. When you’re offered two of these three sensory cues, your brain will fill in the blanks.
But there are exceptions. “There are some fruity candies in which they do specific flavorings in different ones; higher-end gummy bears actually do taste different,” Katz says. “But yeah, a lot of candy companies have figured out this is just a way to save money.”
So much for tasting the rainbow.
So I think tomorrow I’ll be heading out to the grocery store to buy some Skittles, Fruit Loops, and cheap gummy bears – all in the name of science, of course.
Now I want some Skittles! I do like them a lot, even if they do taste the same. 🙂
Now jelly beans definitely taste different though, the red ones being the best!
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The red ones are pretty tasty. Almost as good as the black ones.
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but then some days, it’s probably the exact opposite…
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If they both have the exact same flavor, then that could be true. Especially when I’m not wearing my glasses.
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and put a clothespin on your nose
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I’d only put a clothespin on my nose, in a pinch.
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it’s a useful cure for nasal drip as well…
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And it prevents snoring.
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maybe they shold start selling them in the home remedy aisle at pharmacies…
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They would have to undergo a radical redesign, so that they don’t look like clothespins. That way they can get away with charging an exorbitant price.
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“Haha!”
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Haha! Oh you and my husband both have bad taste!! 😛
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that doesn’t sound too complimentary to you… 🙂
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😛
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No, we haven’t destroyed our taste buds with coffee.
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Pftttt!!
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I think I could taste the difference in jelly beans – I might have to add those to my taste test 🙂
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Just skip the black ones!🤑
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I vaguely recall not being a fan of the black ones either…
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Well this might explain why I never, even as a kid, liked Skittles, Fruit Loops or gummy candies. The things I learn from your blog Jim!
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you’d make a good taste tester… 🙂
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So they all taste the same? I never noticed. Now I’m going start pouring my Froot Loops, Skittles, and gummy bears together into the same breakfast bowl. I mean, what the hell?
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maybe the milk will help bring out the individual flavors…
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Colour can determine what we taste. You would have to be blindfolded to ensure you were doing the taste test properly.
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I’ll add the blindfold to the test 🙂
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That is a study I’ll join in on, too. 😋😊
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the more the merrier 🙂
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I don’t eat gummy bears, but my own experiences with Skittles and Fruit Loops would confirm this finding as I’ve always thought they tasted the same. For many candies, this is not true. Sweets are my main vice.
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that’s not bad as a main vice 🙂
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Yes, our sense of smell adds a lot to our sense of taste, hence a lot of foods taste bland when we have a cold when our sense of smell is impaired. I also read somewhere that frootloops have the same flavor. Interesting.
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it must be tough for people who get COVID, and they lose their sense of smell, and sometimes taste…
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i remember hearing this on npir, and shared it with my colleagues who were shocked and some refused to believe it. remember the clear coke test?
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I do not remember the clear coke test; I’ll have to go look that one up…
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I guess should clarify. I was speaking in terms of coca-cola marketing a clear coke and Pepsi doing the same, neither lasted very long.
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I guess the color just freaked people out too much…
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That’s exactly it!
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it’s amazing how our minds work…
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Thanks for the nod, Jim! It does highlight the incredible power of the human mind and how much smell is connected to taste. Next study should be to determine if green M&Ms have the magical power they are said to hold.
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I am not familiar with the magical power of green M&Ms either; I’ll have to Google that as well!
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I love skittles…I stopped eating them a while ago mostly for the sake of my teeth. Now I really want skittles…and Swedish berries.
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I am not familiar with Swedish berries – is it a candy? I do like Swedish fish, which are a gummy bear like candy…
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Wikipedia tells me that they are similar in taste to Swedish fish. Maybe it’s the Canadian version?
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that’s my fun fact for the day – thanks!
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I think I’ll stick to wine gums and Fruit Pastilles, as I can at least tell them apart. I think…
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I have not heard of either of these foods; perhaps you should try them blindfolded to see if you can really tell the difference…
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They are widely available sweets over here. I must buy some so I can do the test!
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it will be a contribution to science…
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I’ve just made one contribution. I looked them up on Wikipedia and it committed the cardinal sin of calling British sweets the American ‘candies’: it doesn’t say that any more 😉
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so if I am reading your comment correctly, and I did my research on Wikipedia correctly, are you referring to the recent edit on the wikipedia page for wine gums? if so, bravo to you! Have you ever edited a Wikipedia page before?
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Yes, that’s the one. It uses the hyperlinked ‘sweets’ at the beginning but previously said ‘candies’ at the end of the second para. We don’t use the word ‘candies’ here, so it seemed only right that an article on British sweets should use the proper word! First time I’ve ever changed a piece on there, the feeling of power is wonderful!
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that is awesome – this is the highlight of my day. I now know someone who posted something to Wikipedia. I might have to look for a place where I can edit something, and then write a blog about it 🙂
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It will make a good blog post, especially if you follow my lead of just changing one word!
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that would be perfect…
I’m sure I oculd turn it into at least a 300-word blog post though 🙂
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I’m sure there’s an entry on WP stats that you could amend. Then just count your words as you describe it…
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I like the way you think 🙂
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I’m thinking about doing a post on it too – there’s an element of ‘divided by a common language’ in there 😊
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as well as an element of power to the people..
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In the name of science! 😇😉😅
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of course…
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Wow… mind blown😁 Funny, I’ve often wondered if the Lacroix water people do the same thing (minus the coloring)
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I’ve had different flavored propel water, and I can taste the difference…
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I’ll have to try one of those instaed!
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if you do, I hope you enjoy it. my favorite is grape…
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