Ingredient
Gelatine
The reason a gummy bear chews the way it does.
The story
Gelatine is made from collagen, drawn from animal hide and bone, usually pork or beef. It is what gives a gummy its long elastic chew, and nothing else quite reproduces it. When it is heated it dissolves, and as it cools it forms a mesh that traps water, which is why a gummy is mostly water held in shape. It is also why so many apparently simple sweets are not vegetarian. Starch and pectin are the usual replacements and both give a shorter, cleaner bite.
