Forget prune juice, shoppers say one of Trader Joe's newest snacks is sending them straight to the bathroom. The grocery chain's sugar-free Sweet and Sour Gummy Worms have exploded online after customers discovered the candy packs an eye-watering 14 grams of fiber per serving of just eight gummy worms. That is also roughly half your recommended daily fiber intake in one sitting.
Social media users are flooding Threads, Reddit and Instagram with warnings, horror stories, and jokes about the candy's unexpected digestive side effects. 'The new sour gummy worms at Trader Joe's have 14g of fiber in every 8 pieces,' one Threads user wrote. 'That's an unholy amount of fiber in CANDY.' Another shopper joked: 'Trader Joe's is like, 'Y'all gonna s–t and not have colon cancer and it's gonna taste good.'
The gummy worms, which hit shelves earlier this month, are not marketed as a fiber supplement, making the surprise even worse for unsuspecting snackers who polished off handfuls without checking the nutrition label. For comparison, fiber-focused supplements contain far less fiber per serving. MiraFiber gummies contain 8 grams of fiber in four gummies, while Metamucil Fiber Gummies contain 5 grams in three gummies.
Cashiers Warning Customers
Some customers claim the candy's reputation has become so notorious that cashiers are now warning shoppers before they buy them. 'Have you ever been checking out of a grocery store and had a cashier warn you about what you are buying?' one woman said in a viral Instagram video while holding the gummy worms. 'Do you see the fiber content in these? Wild.' One apparent Trader Joe's employee said online: 'I've been warning customers about this if they buy one. Some people might give them to their kids as a snack, eat the whole bag, then s–t their pants at school from all that fiber.'
Customers Share Horror Stories
Others learned the hard way. 'I ate the whole bag high not realizing how much fiber was in these,' one Reddit user admitted. 'I have been pooping for three days now!' Another person dramatically posted: 'Dear Redditors, I write to you now a warning while sitting atop this porcelain throne… these are a fantastic little treat, but they will cause you a level of colonic despair which you have not yet experienced.'
Ingredient Analysis
According to the ingredient list, the candy contains erythritol, a sugar alcohol that experts say can cause digestive upset in large quantities because the body struggles to fully absorb it. When sugar alcohols linger in the intestines, they can ferment and trigger bloating, gas, and laxative-like symptoms. The gummies also contain dextrin and resistant tapioca fiber, both sources of soluble fiber that can aid digestion but potentially overwhelm the stomach when consumed too quickly.
Florida-based nutritionist Janelle Bigelman reviewed the viral candy online and said the ingredients themselves are 'a great option' for increasing fiber intake, though she cautioned against relying on gummy worms as a primary fiber source. 'Do I think you should only be getting your fiber from these gummy worms? No,' she said, recommending fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains instead. Still, after tasting the candy, Bigelman gave it an 8 out of 10 rating and joked: 'You can replace your Metamucil fiber gummies with gummy worms - how fun.' Fun, perhaps, as long as you do not eat the whole bag.
