While it’s not truly a “national holiday”, October 30, the day before Halloween, is recognized as National Candy Corn day.
And we all know that children and even adults will be getting access to a lot of candy this last week of October, so we decided to shed a little light on what makes up one of the most recognizable candy confections out there…Candy Corn.
So where did Candy Corn come from?
Candy corn was first sold by the Wunderle Candy Company in the 1880s, but it was the Goelitz Confectionary Company of Cinncinnati that first decided to sell this candy in bulk. Love it or hate it, this candy has become a symbolic feature of the “Trick or Treat” season.
So now for the facts….
Hailed as one of the better holiday candies due to its fat-free status, it is not as innocent as you believe. The ingredients include sugar, corn syrup, confectioner’s glaze, salt, dextrose, gelatin, sesame oil, artificial flavor, honey, yellow 6, yellow 5, and red 3.
If you didn’t know, the listing of ingredients always start by listing the item with the highest amount, and works down from there. What that says is the primary ingredient of this recipe is sugar, followed by corn syrup and confectioner’s glaze. That is a lot of sugar. In fact, a common nutritional label states that 19 pieces of candy equal 1 serving and contains 32 grams of sugar.
So what does your dentist think? Well, it’s not a hard candy that will chip away at tooth enamel, it’s not acidic which also wears down your teeth, and it’s not a candy that is kept in the mouth for a longer period of time like a lollipop, so it’s not as bad as other choices.
This one strictly comes down to the sugar. Too much sugar is never good for your teeth or overall dental health.
As with anything else, teach your young children moderation, let them have fun, but make sure they brush and floss. And finding a cute, fall-themed toothbrush to put in their trick-or-treat sacks is never a bad idea.
