A have always had a sweet tooth, and even now in my mid-twenties I like to treat myself to a sugar hit. I don't usually bother looking at the kids' range of sweets in my local Morrisons supermarket, though a particular product caught my eye with its bright packaging. This was the Topps Juicy Drop Pop 'Sour Strawberry'. I were not keen on the sugar content or what damage it could do to my oral health, but I treated myself on this occasion.
First impressions Obviously I found the packaging eye-catching due to the bright colours. I don't think this is appropriate for a kids sweet, but the packaging actually looks like a syringe. The main body of the container is bright red in colour, and has 'Juicy Drop Pop' written in bright yellow writing across the front. Either end of the 'syringe' is also bright yellow, both the end of the lolly and the cap where the liquid is. You can see a clear bubble with a swirl pattern on it where the liquid is kept within the body of the product. First impressions are very positive, and as this is a sweet aimed at young children I find it is well designed to target the age range.
The Juicy Drop Pop The first thing I noticed about the design is that at one end of the container you have a bubble which is where the sour liquid is stored. This can be either sucked directly from the bottle or squeezed onto the lolly. To the other end is the handle of the lolly, and pulling it reveals a translucent red lollypop. The design is quite simple, but it is also reasonably compact whilst standing out at the same time. Although the syrup can be very sticky and a pain to get out of clothes (beware of staining), the cap protects you from accidently squeezing it on your clothes, and this also allows you to consume the sweet over a period of time and not just in one sitting.
My experience I have to say that the Juicy Drop Pop is very easy to get the hang of, and can be enjoyed in a number of ways. I like to remove the lollipop from the end of the container and then squeeze the sour syrup onto it, before licking it off. The sugary syrup is very sour indeed, and this is in contrast to the sweetness of the lollipop. As this is the 'Sour Strawberry' variety it is strawberry flavoured. This sour flavour is the only one I have tried, though I am now going to try the apple flavour, which is also sour in taste.
To dispense the sugary syrup you have to simply remove the bright yellow cap and squeeze the clear bubble which is visible on both sides of the container. This is easy to do, and although it might sound messy it isn't. I am always careful when squeezing the syrup out, though young children may make a bit of a mess if they are not so careful. I think this is one of the downsides to the Juicy Drop Pop, though there is another reason to be careful as to how many of these you let a child consume.
The ingredients list don't give specific quantities of each ingredient, though they are listen in order of how significant they are in the make up of the product.
The ingredients are as follows ; Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Water, Glycerol, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid (E330), Flavouring Pear Juice Concentrate, Preservative (E211), Colour (E120). Personally I think this has to be a very unhealthy child's treat. I can't imagine it is very good for their teeth, and after eating the sweet I made sure I brushed my teeth properly to prevent decay.
Price and availability
The juicy Drop Pop 'Sour Strawberry' is available from Tesco for 62p. I think this is a reasonable price considering it is two treats in one. It does last a good length of time, unlike most treats. Unfortunately the sugar content is a concern to recommend it as a regular treat.
Final thoughts
The sugar content is extremely high, and other than sugars and flavourings there is very little else to the Juicy Drop Pop. Kids might enjoy this treat, but it should be very occasionally, and there are healthier snacks around - there must be few that are less healthy in fact.
The packaging is very appealing to children, and this is exactly the aim of manufacturers to catch the eye of their target market. Overall though I have to award the Juicy Drop Pop Sour Strawberry 3 out of 5 stars. This is an average rating due to the high sugar content , though it is very enjoyable as a rare treat.
Topps Juicy Drop Pop Sour Strawberry 
