Consumers spend more than $22 billion on chewing gum annually, and that number is growing. What’s pushing this? It is driven by “stress-relieving properties,” “a growing shift from sugared gums to sugar-free gums,” and an “increasing preference for products that offer dental benefits.” And you thought chewing gum just tasted good.
Trident, Orbit, Mentos, Eclipse, Extra, Stride, Dentyne. These brands are helping lead the way. But if you haven’t noticed, gum packaging has changed. Sure, you can still buy the smaller packages, but the 40-piece plastic dispensers seem to fill the shelves in convenience stores now. Santa even put one in my stocking this year.
This isn’t the bubble gum of my youth, though. Dubble Bubble and Hubba Bubba were those choices, which were pushed by the amount of advertising for the brands on Saturday-morning cartoons. Remember trying to see who could blow the biggest bubble, and then struggling to peel the gum off your face?
Mom preferred Doublemint, Big Red and others that came in individual foiled wrappers in five-stick packs. Do I dare mention Fruit Stripe Chewing Gum? That brittle stuff tasted great for about 10 seconds and then… nothing. Big League Chew? My friends and I thought we were just like the professional baseball players when we dipped into a pouch of this stuff.
I still chew gum today, but not the sugary stuff. Regardless, I often crave it. That’s the effects of Aspartame, I am told. But chewing gum isn’t all bad. Flavored chewing gum can relieve bad breath. Chewing sugar-free gum after eating can help reduce tooth decay risk. Whitening chewing gums can coat the teeth to help prevent staining. The additional saliva that is created by chewing gum may relieve symptoms of acid reflux. And, maybe best of all, chewing gum can help burn 11 calories per hour AND relieve stress.
Modern chewing gum is made up of fillers, emulsifiers, softeners and a “gum base,” which may include any of 46 FDA-approved products including plastics, natural latex, synthetic rubber, wood glue, vegetable oil and talc, according to treehugger.com. Seriously.
You may wonder if chewing gum is biodegradable, but you already know the answer, as the evidence can be seen on city sidewalks and the underside of desks. This litter is concerning to me. According to GetGreenNow, up to 90% of ABC gum (already been chewed, of course) is “disposed of improperly with most dropped on the ground or stuck onto a surface.” This means thousands of pounds of gum are littered every year, and that doesn’t include the packaging.
Meanwhile, I keep buying and I keep chewing, but my teeth don’t seem whiter, the acid reflux continues, and I don’t feel less stress. And where exactly are any of the four-out-of-five dentists who recommend sugarless gum to their patients who chew gum?
Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707