TikTok trend leads to Fruit Roll-Up woes in Israel

May 10 (UPI) -- Health officials in Israel are warning the public about the sugar content of Fruit Roll-Ups after a viral TikTok trend led to multiple instances of the sweet snacks being smuggled into the country.

A TikTok trend that went viral in Israel started when influencer Golnar Ghavami posted a video showing herself wrapping a spoonful of ice cream in a Fruit Roll-Up and eating it with a satisfying crunch.

The video sparked scores of imitators, including from the official Fruit Roll-Ups account on TikTok, and the sugary treats started flying off the shelves to the point where stores were left completely sold out.

The Israeli Tax Authority said an operation at Ben Gurion Airport led to hundreds of pounds of Fruit Roll-Ups being confiscated from luggage. Officials said people had been bringing the snacks from the United States, where a box of 72 Fruit Roll-Ups can be bought for about $27, to Israel, where a single Fruit Roll-Up can be sold on the black market for as much as $6.

Officials said the confiscated luggage, as well as at least 10 packages intercepted in the mail recently, constitute illegal commercial shipments that would be subject to the associated taxes and inspections from health officials.

The spate of illegal importations led the Israeli Ministry of Health to issue a warning on Twitter about the high sugar content of Fruit Roll-Ups paired with ice cream.

"Glucose, corn syrup and dry corn syrup are all sugar -- a lot of different types of sugar," the ministry wrote of the ingredients in the fruit snacks.

The ministry shared a recipe for a healthier substitute: cucumber rolls.