The brand was introduced by
Mars in the United Kingdom in the autumn of 1959, named Opal Fruits by Peter Phillips (known as Peter Pfeffer at the time), the winner of a competition that won him £5. Produced at their factory in
Slough,
Berkshire, the four original flavours were
strawberry,
lemon,
orange and
lime. Opal Fruits were introduced in the United States in 1967 While the etymology of the name Starburst is not certain, it was probably an attempt to express the burst of flavour at each bite, and draw attention while space interest was at its peak during the
Space Race. Originally, Starburst came in the same flavours as Opal Fruits, though the lime flavour was replaced by cherry in the US in the early 1980s. Subsequently, its first variant, "Sunshine Flavors", was released, and was later renamed "Tropical Opal Fruits". In Europe, the lemon and lime flavours were combined to become a singular "lemon and lime" flavour to make room for a
blackcurrant flavour. The brand name
Opal Fruits was phased out in the UK, followed by Ireland in 1998 in order to standardise the product in a globalised marketplace. In 2008, however, Mars revived the original Opal Fruits in the UK in conjunction with the supermarket chain
Asda for a period of 12 weeks starting on 10 May 2008. On 6 October 2008, Mars acquired Wrigley and it transferred Mars' non-chocolate candy brands, including Starburst, to the Wrigley subsidiary. The original flavours are now branded "Original Fruits", and Starburst now comes in several assortments: FaveREDs, Limited Edition Retro Fruits, Tropical, Baja California, Sour, Strawberry Mix, Berries and Creme, Very Berry and Fruity Slushies. Among the additional flavours are Strawberry Lemonade, Strawberry-Banana,
Blue Raspberry, Blue Raspberry Rush, Cherry Splash, Citrus Slush,
Kiwi,
Banana,
Plum,
Passion Fruit,
Mango,
Blueberry,
Blackberry,
Raspberry, Melon,
Watermelon, Tropical Punch, Green
Apple, Orange Cream, Mixed Berries and Cream, Peaches and Cream and Strawberry and Cream. Europe and the United States also has the "Sour" assortment, which includes Apple, Cherry, Pineapple and Raspberry, as well as Strawberry Mix. Starburst in the UK is vegetarian, its packaging and website clearly stating "Suitable for Vegetarians", and also does not contain any artificial colours or flavours. In the US, Starburst contains non-vegan gelatin in its ingredients. Lime Starburst made a comeback in 2007 as a limited-edition "retro" flavour in packages of the "Baja" version, while the range in the UK was further extended with a version named Starburst Choozers. These lozenge shaped chews have a liquid fruit juice centre, and come packaged with the tag line "The chews that ooze." Each packet contains three flavours; Orange & Mango, Raspberry & Orange and Pineapple & Orange. As of August 2016, the advertising slogan for Starburst is "Unexplainably Juicy". Starburst products were entirely discontinued in New Zealand in April 2021, and in Australia in June 2022. Starburst-branded products had been sold in Australia since 1996. As of November 2022, the Duos and Tropical flavours have been discontinued by Mars Inc. In March 2023, Democratic California Assemblyman
Jesse Gabriel introduced the California Food Safety Act to the
California Assembly which intended to ban production, sales, and consumption of all foods and drinks (including Starburst,
Skittles,
Pez,
Sour Patch Kids,
Campbell Soup, etc.) that contain titanium dioxide and 4 other harmful additives (
propylparaben,
red dye 3,
brominated vegetable oil, and
potassium bromate) across the state. All five of additives had been linked to causing cancer and other health problems and at least three were already banned by the
European Union from being used in food and drink products. If passed, California will become the first US state to adopt the European Union's ban on titanium dioxide and other cancer-causing chemical additives from being used in food and drink products. Although the legislation was signed into law in October 2023, a last-minute amendment removed titanium dioxide from the banned ingredients. ==Marketing==