Sunkist Fruit Gems, the jelly candies that were a staple at bar and bat mitzvahs for generations, are being discontinued. Ferrara, the Chicago-based candy company that owns Jelly Belly, Brachs and Nerds, announced the decision, attributing it to a relaunch of the Jelly Belly brand. The company stated that a "careful reduction of the number of products including the licensed Sunkist Fruit Gems allowed us to better focus on our commitment to consumer demands and driving innovation."

The news was met with dismay by Mitchell Cohen, who runs Economy Candy in New York City. He noted that a majority of the Sunkist Fruit Gems sold by his store are bought to be thrown at bar and bat mitzvah celebrants. "There is nothing that is wrapped, relatively soft and can launch from the back aisle," he said. Economy Candy typically ships 30 to 50 packages daily and sold 1,000 pounds of the candies after learning of the discontinuation.

The fruit gems originated in the 1930s when Sunkist growers needed to transform surplus citrus. Christopher Candy Company developed a formula using orange oil, lemon oil, citric acid and pectin. The Ben Myerson Candy Company bought Christopher's in 1955 and later licensed the Sunkist name. Jelly Belly acquired Myerson's in 2006, and Ferrara bought Jelly Belly in 2023.