Have you always wanted to grab handfuls of the plastic grass in your Easter basket and chomp on it? Have you always secretly wished that Cadbury Creme Eggs came in a form that you could pass off as a normal dessert instead of a chocolate egg? The answer to both of those questions is probably “no,” but this is America, where progress marches on whether we want apple-flavored licorice grass or not. [More]
candy
Nestlé Says It Will Remove Artificial Flavors & Colors From Chocolate Products
By 2.17.15
Crack open a Butterfinger bar and you’ll find a core that uses food dyes like Red 40 and Yellow 5 to get that distinctive orange hue. While these and other artificial ingredients are certified by the FDA for use in food, a growing number of consumers are looking for products with more natural ingredients. That’s why Nestlé USA has pledged to remove artificial flavors and colors from all of its chocolate items by the end of the year. [More]
The 95-Year-Old CEO Of Tootsie Roll Industries Has Died
By 1.21.15
If someone had asked me where Tootsie Rolls come from earlier today, I probably would have guessed that they’re a brand owned by a major candy-maker, like Hershey, M&M/Mars, or Nestle. I’m not paying close enough attention to my candy, apparently: Tootsie Roll Industries is a publicly traded company based in Chicago that also makes Junior Mints, Dots, Andes, and Blow-Pops. [More]
Conversation Heart Jelly Beans Exist, Are Not Heart-Shaped
By 1.12.15
Every major holiday in the United States seems to have its own candy, which used to disappear from stores once that candy’s holiday was over. There are conversation hearts for Valentine’s Day, jelly beans and creme eggs for Easter, candy corn for Halloween, and candy canes for Christmas. Then the world went completely mad. [More]
Hershey Considering Replacing High-Fructose Corn Syrup With Sugar In Some Products
By 12.3.14
While some products from Hershey already feature only sugar as a sweetener, like the original Hershey’s chocolate bar, the company says that as more customers are shying away from high-fructose corn syrup, Hershey is considering moving toward sugar for more products in the future. [More]
Company Apologizes For Including Penis-Shaped Gummies In Candy Marketed To Kids
By 9.10.14
Having the “birds and the bees” talk with your kids is an important moment, I imagine, so it’s no wonder parents in New Zealand don’t want that conversation to arrive sooner than it should because of a surprise found in packages of candy aimed at the younger set. A candy company is now apologizing after penis-shaped gummy candies ended up mixed in with their less phallic brethren in products kids could easily get their hands on. [More]
Pumpkin Watch: Trident Also Has Pumpkin Spice Gum
By 9.9.14
Need something inedible and fall-flavored to chew on while you mourn the non-existence of pumpkin spice flavored condoms? There’s more than one pumpkin spice gum on the market. This Trident variety was spotted at Target, which is America’s Pumpkin Spice Central. A reader of The Impulsive Buy spotted it in the wild, One of their readers declares it to be acceptable: the flavor lasts 15-20 minutes if he chews two pieces. Assuming that what you want is for the flavor to last. Some people are into that kind of thing. [The Impulsive Buy] [More]
Back-To-School Halloween Candy Keeps Kids Healthy And Happy
By 8.25.14
Okay, we get that it’s difficult to swap out seasonal sections in retail stores, and that items sell out when we think it might be too “early” for the next holiday to come along. However, Michael spotted an odd combination of one retail “holiday,” back to school season, and the following holiday, Halloween. [More]
Candy Apple-Flavored M&Ms Exist For Some Reason
By 8.13.14
A candy apple covered with M&Ms is a real thing that exists. However, that is not what you get when you buy a bag of candy apple flavored M&Ms at your local Walmart. Yes, M&M/Mars is using their fancy new factory to create more variations on the candy. Why? [More]
The Mad Genius Behind The Rebirth Of Hydrox, Astro Pops And Maybe Marshall Field’s
By 6.14.14
We’ve all felt the sting of losing a beloved brand when a company goes out of business, stops making your favorite candy or gets sold off bit by bit to the highest bidder. But what if you could resurrect those treasured relics of days gone by and bring them back anew? And how would it even be possible? [More]
Make Your Own Peanut Butter Eggs At Home
By 4.17.14
The Reese’s seasonal peanut butter cup empire is now a year-round operation with hearts, pumpkins, and even footballs, but it all began with the humble peanut butter egg. What you might not know is that you can make this confection in your very own home, with ingredients that aren’t very hard to find. [More]
Mars Shells Out $270M For Its First New Candy Factory In 35 Years
By 3.27.14
There are some things you can bet on it’s that there will always be someone, somewhere who wants chocolate. Unless our future alien overlords deprogram our taste for candy, that makes Mars Inc.’s $270 million factory, its first new factory in 35 years, a pretty safe investment. [More]
How A Man (And A Forklift) Conquered A Vending Machine, Then Lost His Job
By 2.20.14
We’ve all been there, the utter disappointment of having your candy bar stuck in the evil teeth of a vending machine. The sweet treat hanging by a thread, mocking you from the top rows. How far are you willing to go to satisfy your sweet tooth? For one Iowa man scoring his treat cost him a job. [More]
Most Americans Eat Chocolate, Fewer Americans Are Making It
By 2.14.14
Yes, we might all be buying a lot of chocolate today (and a lot of half-priced heart-shaped chocolates tomorrow.) While Americans still eat about the same amount of chocolate as we always have, there are fewer people employed in the candy-making industry thanks to overseas production and advances in chocolate-making technology. [CNN Money] [More]
There Are People Who Actually Like White Chocolate (Even If It’s Not Really Chocolate)
By 2.11.14
Bring up white chocolate to most people and you’ll likely get a nose wrinkle and a, “Who eats white chocolate?”* Seriously — that just happened to me within the hour when discussing this post. But the answer is Brazil, for starters, along with a bunch of other countries where the white chocolate business is booming (even though it’s not reeeally chocolate). [More]
“Candy” Tastes Sweetest For Its New Trademark Owner
By 1.21.14
The mobile game hit du jour just got a new feature: extra trademark protection. The US Patent and Trademark office last week awarded King, makers of smash game Candy Crush Saga, a trademark on the word “candy.” [More]
Comfort Food Crime Wave Is Back: $362,000 Worth Of Candy Disappears
By 1.2.14
In spring of last year, comforting, tasty foods began to disappear by the truckload. Soup, hamburgers, Nutella: all stolen. Consumerist developed a theory. What if these crimes were the work of a syndicate of well-traveled, resourceful, and extremely hungry thieves? After laying dormant for most of 2013, the Comfort Food Criminals are back. [More]
Giant M&M’s Coming For People Who Need Triple Chocolate
By 12.12.13
Do you enjoy M&M’s, but find that they just don’t contain enough chocolate? We’re pretty sure that no one has ever had that problem, but M&M’s/Mars has solved it anyway with the creation of M&M’s Mega. Each candy has three times as much chocolate as a regular M&M, coated with the traditional candy shell. [More]
