well after posting this I looked it up and it says its to thicken the jam.

Fruit Fresh is to preserves the color of the fruit. Pectin as you discovered is to thicken, to make the jam set. Using it or not is a personal choice but making jam without it is much more difficult and gives a very different (softer) texture.

Some fruits have lots of natural pectin in them - citrus, apples, etc., others do not. Strawberries do not so unless you are a very experienced jam maker using pectin is recommended.

If you type 'strawberry jam' in the forum search bar you will find loads of discussions about the problems with making strawberry jam, especially when pectin is not used.

If you type 'pectin' into the search bar you can read all about the various brands and types and how to use it.

Dave

Thanks again Dave!