Midget Gems
 An assortment of Midget Gems. | |
| Alternative names | Mini Gems |
|---|---|
| Type | Confectionery |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Main ingredients | Gelatine, sugar, citric acid, fruit flavouring |
Midget Gems (also known as Mini Gems) are chewy, firm sweets similar to wine gums but much harder. They are manufactured from sugar and glucose syrup, corn starch and/or various other starches, animal gelatin, and various colourings and flavouring.
Midget Gems were extremely popular in the North of England and were one of The Lion Confectionery Company's biggest-selling brands. In 1995 the company joined forces with Cadbury Trebor Bassett brand Maynard's to market the sweet across the country.[1] At the time the sweet was re-branded under the Maynard's banner, the black Midget Gems were changed from liquorice flavour to blackcurrant, but only in the bagged product – those sold loose, from jars and boxes, remain liquorice. Some of the newer bagged product now have reintroduced the liquorice flavour.
A leading selling point for Midget Gems is that they were often sold loose from a jar or barrel. This made them inexpensive and helped bolster their popularity.[2]
Midget Gems are produced by a wide variety of other companies. Glisten Confectionery manufacture them under their Victoria brand, and in 2007 announced that they were removing all artificial colours and flavourings from the sweets.[3] Many supermarkets and stores such as Asda,[4] Tesco,[5] Marks and Spencer, and Sainsbury's manufacture their own versions.
The sweet is so popular that Liverpool Football Club at one point sold their own branded tubs of Midget Gems,[6] and the sweet frequently appears in lists of "Favourite sweets".[7]
Midget Gems are now sold in wide variety of colours and flavours, adding to the choices consumers have when purchasing them.
In January 2022, Marks & Spencer announced their plan to change the name of their sweet to 'Mini gems', after a campaign by Liverpool Hope University academic Dr. Erin Pritchard who complained the word 'midget', considering its origin in a Victorian freak show which exploited disabled people, was offensive to people with dwarfism.[8] The reaction on social media was mixed. Tesco and Maynards Bassetts followed suit later that year[9][10][11] with other brands starting to follow suit in the following months and years.
See also
[edit source]References
[edit source]- ↑ "Sweet success is target for Gems". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 11 April 2005.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 20 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ↑ "Victoria sweets remove artificial colours". Talking Retail. 7 July 2007.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Confirmed sighting: Asda Smart Price Midget Gems". snackspot.org.uk. 10 January 2008.
- ↑ "Tesco Midget Gems Review". DooYoo. Retrieved 21 April 2008.
- ↑ "Midget Gems Tub". Liverpool Football Club. Archived from the original on 15 September 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2008.
- ↑ "Space dust!". BBC Lancashire. 21 March 2006.
- ↑ "Midget Gems change name after academic's campaign". BBC News website. 13 January 2022.
- ↑ "Tesco Mini Gems 200G". Tesco. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ↑ "Midget Gems: Bassetts agree to 'Mini Gems' rebrand following Liverpool academic's campaign". Liverpool World. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ↑ "MAYNARDS BASSETTS MINI GEMS 160G (BOX OF 12)". Cadbury Gifts. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
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