Do You Know What’s in that Halloween Candy?
It’s so much fun – especially for all the kids – to find costumes, face paint, accessories, and the largest bucket you can find, then head out to gather candy. The more houses you visit, the heavier that bucket becomes, weighed down by chocolates, cookies, lollipops, and more.
While we all enjoy the excitement and tradition of trick-or-treating under a bright moon, we should also know more about what’s in that Halloween candy. Do you know which candies contain PGPR, Blue 2 Lake, and bioengineered ingredients?
Our aim is to help readers easily access information about ingredients in packaged foods. Read this guide for a comprehensive list of ingredients in popular Halloween candies. Then make informed decisions about which sweet treats you choose to eat in the days that follow this time honored tradition.
Ingredients in Halloween Candy
Let’s first start with a complete list of the ingredients in a dozen popular candies given away during Halloween. Perhaps the most frightening part of Halloween is the significant amount of sugar, corn syrup, and food coloring that’s distributed and consumed.
Five of the 12 candies we review in this guide contain a bioengineered ingredient.
Airheads
Airheads sour candies are made by Perfetti Van Melle and, according to the company, “made in a nut free facility.”
Ingredients in Airheads Sour Candies:Sugar, Corn Syrup, Maltodextrin, Dextrose, Modified Food Starch, Citric Acid, Palm Oil, Water, Artificial Flavors, Red 40, Blue 1, Yellow 6, and Yellow 5.
Airheads contain a bioengineered food ingredient.
CRUNCH
CRUNCH bars, a product of Nestle, are made with Milk Chocolate and Crisped Rice. Here is the complete list of ingredients.
Ingredients in CRUNCH bars:Milk Chocolate is made with Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Nonfat Milk, Milkfat, Lactose, Soy Lecithin, and Natural Flavor. Crisped Rice is made with Rice Flour, Sugar, Barley Malt, and Salt.
Dum Dums
Dum Dum candies are certified kosher and made without the use of major allergens. The candy is manufactured on dedicated equipment and does not contain peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, wheat, or gluten.
Ingredients in Dum Dums:Sugar, Corn Syrup, Citric Acid, Malic Acid, Salt, Artificial Flavor, Color Added includes Red 40, Yellow 6, Yellow 5, and Blue 1.
Hershey’s Milk Chocolate
Ingredients in Hershey’s Milk Chocolate:Milk Chocolate made with Sugar, Milk, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Milk Fat, Soy Lecithin, PGPR, and Natural Flavor.
PGPR (Polyglycerol plyricinoleate) is processed from glycerol and fatty acids such as castor bean or soybean oil. It’s generally used as an emulsifier to prevent the separation of water and fats and/or to improve how chocolate flows through the manufacturing process.
KitKat
Ingredients in KitKat Chocolate Wafer Candy Bar:Sugar, Wheat Flour, Cocoa Butter, Chocolate, Lactose (milk), Vegetable Oil (palm oil, palm kernel oil), Skim Milk, Milk Fat, Soy Lecithin, PGPR, Vanillin (artificial flavor), Salt, Yeast, and Baking Soda.
M&Ms
Ingredients in M&M’s:Milk Chocolate, Sugar, Cornstarch, Corn Syrup, Dextrin, Colors (Blue 1 Lake, Yellow 6, Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1, Yellow 6 Lake, Red 40 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, Blue 2 Lake, Blue 2), Carnauba Wax, and Gum Acacia.
M&M’s contain bioengineered food ingredients.
Nerds
Nerds are available in specific flavors such as Strawberry or in a package of Rainbow Nerds, which includes a combination of all flavors. Here is the list of ingredients in Rainbow Nerds.
Ingredients in Rainbow Nerds:Dextrose, Sugar, Malic Acid, Corn Syrup, Natural Flavors, Carnauba Wax, Color Added, Carmine Color, Blue 1 Lake, Blue 1, Blue 2 Lake, Red 40 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, Yellow 5, Yellow 6.
The Strawberry Nerds (one of the candies our kids received on Halloween), does not contain Yellow 5 Lake, Yellow 5, or Yellow 6. It also doesn’t list Blue 1 (but does include Blue 1 Lake and Blue 2 Lake).
Interestingly, the package of Nerds states that the candy “may contain egg.” The candies are produced in a facility that manufacturers other foods containing egg, soy, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, and sesame.
Nerds Gummy Clusters
The gummy version of Nerds has similar ingredients as the original candies, but also includes gelatin, modified corn starch, citric acid, sodium citrate, and acacia.
OREOs
Ingredients in OREO cookies:Unbleached Enriched Flour, Sugar, Palm Oil, Soybean and/or Canola Oil, Cocoa (processed with Alkali), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Baking Soda and/or Calcium Phosphate (leavening agent), Salt, Soy Lecithin, Chocolate, and Artificial Flavor.
Skittles
Skittles® is a brand and registered trademark of Mars Wrigley, which also manufactures and markets 3 Musketeers, Starburst, TWIX, Snickers, and M&M’s, among other well-known candies and snacks.
Ingredients in Skittles:Sugar, Corn Syrup, Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil, Citric Acid, Tapioca Dextrin, Modified Corn Starch, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Colors (Red 40 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, Blue 2 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Titanium Dioxide, Blue 1 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1), Sodium Citrate, Carnauba Wax.
Skittles contain bioengineered food ingredients.
Snickers
Anyone concerned about common allergens in foods may already know that Snickers are made with peanuts and may also contain tree nuts. Did you also know that Snickers candies contain milk, egg, and may contain soy?
Ingredients in Snickers:Milk Chocolate, Peanuts, Corn Syrup, Sugar, Palm Oil, Skim Milk, Lactose, Salt, Egg Whites, and Artificial Flavor.
Starburst
Ingredients in original Starburst fruit chews:Sugar, Corn Syrup, Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil, Citric Acid, Tapioca Dextrin, Gelatin, Apple Juice from concentrate, Modified Corn Starch, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Colors including Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Blue 1.
Starburst contains bioengineered food ingredients.
TWIX
Ingredients in TWIX:Milk Chocolate, Enriched Wheat Flour, Sugar, Palm Oil, Corn Syrup, Skim Milk, Dextrose, Salt, Cocoa, Soy Lecithin, Modified Cornstarch, Baking Soda, and Artificial Flavor.
TWIX candy is made with bioengineered food ingredients.
Common Ingredients in the Candy
It’s interesting to note that many of the chocolate bars and candies have a very similar list of ingredients. Unsurprisingly, sugar is used in all of the packaged products on our list.
Many of these processed foods also contain corn syrup, a type of oil (e.g., corn oil, palm oil), natural and artificial flavors, and/or food coloring.
Here is a quick reference chart that marks which chocolate bars and candies contain select ingredients.
Bioengineered Food Ingredients
Of the dozen candies we review in this article, five contain bioengineered food ingredients. That list includes the following:
- Airheads
- M&M’s
- Skittles
- Starburst
- TWIX
What is a Bioengineered Food Ingredient?
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a bioengineered food ingredient “contains genetic material that has been modified through laboratory techniques.” The modification would not otherwise be obtained naturally.
If a food or ingredient meets the definition, then there must be a disclosure on the package. There is no requirement to make a statement about health risks or safety of the food.
The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service maintains a list of bioengineered foods, which include corn, canola, potato, sugarbeet, and sugarcane, among others.
Food manufacturers may change their recipes without notice. Check directly with the food provider for the most up-to-date information.
