The Wham Bar is a confectionery

Confectionery

Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...

 bar formerly produced by Millar McCowan

Millar McCowan

Millar McCowan is a Scottish confectionery manufacturer. Owned by Andrew Walsh, who also runs Thornycroft. For the brands of McCowan’s and John Millar & Sons. Among its brands are Wham Bars, and Highland Toffee. It also produces traditional Scottish sweeties such as Pan Drops and Bonbons...

 and sold in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

.

They are bars of thin, chewy toffee with coloured pieces of sherbet inside. Wham Bars are available in a range of flavours, including Original (Raspberry), Strawberry, Cola

Cola

Cola is a carbonated beverage that was typically flavored by the kola nut as well as vanilla and other flavorings, however, some colas are now flavored artificially. It became popular worldwide after druggist John Pemberton invented Coca-Cola in 1886...

, Brew (a similar flavour to that of Irn Bru), Extreme Super Sour (Blackcurrant), Sour Apple and Sour Cherry. Most flavours are available in Standard, Mega and Mini sizes.

History

Wham Bars were introduced in the early 1980s and they are a popular brand for children and young adults due to their low price (a standard bar usually costs ten pence) and "cult" value. At the peak of their popularity, sales of Wham Bars were 30 million per year.

In 2009, Wham XTRM Sherbet Dips were added to the range. Each packet includes a blackcurrant lollipop and a sherbet dip. In 2010, the 'Luscious Strawberry' flavour Glam Bar was introduced.

On 21 September 2011 it was announced that Highland Toffee, the makers of Wham Bars, were going into administration.

Ingredients

Original flavour: Glucose syrup

Glucose syrup

Glucose syrup is a food syrup, made from the hydrolysis of starch. Maize is commonly used as the source of the starch in the USA, in which case the syrup is called "corn syrup", but glucose syrup is also made from other starch crops, including potatoes, wheat, barley, rice and cassavap.21...

, Sugar

Sugar

Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...

, vegetable oil, maltodextrin

Maltodextrin

Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide that is used as a food additive. It is produced from starch by partial hydrolysis and is usually found as a creamy-white hygroscopic spraydried powder. Maltodextrin is easily digestible, being absorbed as rapidly as glucose, and might be either moderately sweet or...

, citric acid

Citric acid

Citric acid is a weak organic acid. It is a natural preservative/conservative and is also used to add an acidic, or sour, taste to foods and soft drinks...

 E330, flavouring, colours: E163, E101

E101

E101 may refer to one of the following* Riboflavin, a food additive which has been assigned E Number* European route E101, an autoroad of International E-road network between Kiev and Moscow...

, E140, solubilised milk

Milk

Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...

 protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

, stabiliser: glycerol

Glycerol

Glycerol is a simple polyol compound. It is a colorless, odorless, viscous liquid that is widely used in pharmaceutical formulations. Glycerol has three hydroxyl groups that are responsible for its solubility in water and its hygroscopic nature. The glycerol backbone is central to all lipids...

 E422, emulsifier: lecithin

Lecithin

Lecithin is a generic term to designate any group of yellow-brownish fatty substances occurring in animal and plant tissues, and in egg yolk, composed of phosphoric acid, choline, fatty acids, glycerol, glycolipids, triglycerides, and phospholipids .The word lecithin was originally coined in 1847 by...

 E322