Frightening Reality Of Halloween, Corporate Profits And Health
One Halloween, when I was a boy, dressed in my GI Joe costume, I was trick or treating in our post-World War II suburban neighborhood, when it started to pour and my paper bag nearly filled with candy fell apart.
I was a few blocks from home and my bootie from two hours of door to door knocking was in danger but I was able to scoop up most of the candy in my GI Joe pockets and make it home. There I closed the door, out of view of my sister, and dumped my plunder on my bed where I carefully sorted out the good and the bad, along with the occasional pennies and undesirable apples. I kept the Snickers bars and tossed the wax lips. Fortunately none of my neighbors were dentists so nobody gave me a tooth brush.
I loved Halloween as did millions of other kids along with the multinational companies that sold billions of dollars worth of candy on the special day. I knew nothing about Red Dye №3, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil and propylparaben. I was blissfully unaware, as was my mother, that if I was like most kids, I would consume up to three cups of sugar eating Halloween candy, the equal of about 169 sugar cubes.
Candy makes children, dentists and megacorporations smile, as the conglomerates make billions through marketing and manufacturing treats around the world.
The largest candy company of them all is Mars Inc., makers of those popular treats, Skittles, Milky Way, M&Ms and many more. Founded in 1911 by Franklin Mars in Tacoma, Wash., Mars is still entirely owned by the Mars family and is now based in McLean, Virginia.
On April 28, 2008, Mars, Inc., and investment company, Berkshire Hathaway Inc., announced the buyout of Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, the world’s largest chewing gum producer, for $23 billion in an all-cash deal. The two companies together generated sales of more than $30 billion in 2008.
Mars, Nestle and Hershey may bring smiles to American children but it’s not the same for young enslaved children, who are critical to the harvesting of cocoa in the forests of Cameroon, Guinea, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.
In 2019, the three companies announced that they couldn’t guarantee that their chocolate products were free from child slave labor, as they could trace only 24 percent of the purchasing back to the farm level. The Washington Post reported that the companies had not kept 2001 commitments to eradicate the use of child slave labor within four years.
Ukraine also has designated Mars an “international sponsor of the war.” On Sept. 1, 2023, Ukraine’s National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) included Mars and PepsiCo on the list of international sponsors of the war. Both companies said they would end advertising and production of products in Russia but they continue to work in the Russian Federation, paying significant taxes to the Russian budget, and supporting the economy of the aggressor country, the NACP reported.
Mars candy includes: Bounty bar, Galaxy Minstrels, 3 Musketeers, Ben’s Original, Bounty, Celebrations, Cirkus, CocoaVia, Combos, Dolmio, Dove, Ebly, Ethel M, FLAVIA, Fling, Flyte, Forever Yours, Galaxy, Galaxy Bubbles, Galaxy Minstrels, goodnessKNOWS, Twix, M-Azing, M&M’s, Maltesers, Marathon, Mars, Milky Way, Munch, Promite, Revels, Seeds of Change, Snickers, Topic, Tracker and Treets.
The Wrigley side of the company includes mostly chewing gum: Airwaves, Alpine, Altoids, Big Red, Bubble Tape, Doublemint, Eclipse, Eclipse Ice, Excel, Extra, Freedent, Hubba Bubba, Juicy Fruit, Life Savers, Lockets, Orbit, Ouch!, Rondo, Skittles, Spearmint, Starburst, Surpass, Tunes, Winterfresh and Wrigley’s.
The top six candy companies in the world are Mars, Ferrerro of Italy (maker of Kinder, Raffaello, Mon Cheri, Ferrero Kusschen, Tic Tac and Nutella,), Mondelez International (maker of Oreo, Milka, Cadbury and Prince Polo), Meiji of Japan (maker of Meiji, Meltykiss, XYLISH and Fran), Hershey’s and Nestle.
Hershey’s is only the fifth biggest candy maker but it is one of the most recognizable names in the candy world. When you think Hershey’s think 5th Avenue, Almond Joy, Barkthins, BreathSavers, Brookside, Bubbleyum, Cadbury, Good and Plenty, Heath, Hersheys, Honest, Icebreakers, Jolly Rancher, Kisses, KitKat, Milk Duds, Mounds, Mr. Goodbar, PayDay, Reeses, Rolo, Skor, Symphony, Twizzlers, Whatchamacallit, Whoppers, York, Zagnut and Zero.
Candy is taking a serious hit in California where the state has banned four food additives from candy because they have been linked to serious health issues and are found in everything from candy corn to sodas. California’s Food Safety Act, which takes effect on Jan. 1, 2027, bars use of Red Dye №3, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil and propylparaben. California also is considering banning titanium dioxide, which is used as a whitening agent in many candies, some creamy salad dressings, frozen pizzas and ice cream.
It’s unclear if the chemicals are harmful in very small amounts but the problem is with the cumulative amounts ingested. A few candy corns probably isn’t worrisome but added to all of the other foods that have the questionable dyes and it could be a significant issue.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limits the amount of food additives in products and is currently re-evaluating Red Dye №3 and brominated vegetable oil. The use in foods of Red Dye №3, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, propylparaben and titanium oxide are already prohibited in the European Union.
Research conducted over the past few decades, primarily in animals, has linked the four chemicals to cancer, reproductive issues and neurobehavioral concerns, such as hyperactivity.
Red Dye №3 is used to create an appetizingly vibrant red or flaming pink in icings, drinks and candies, especially ones that are flavored with cinnamon, peppermint, cherry or berry. This includes many holiday-themed candies, like conversation hearts, candy corn and candy canes, as well as some brands of jelly beans.
Brominated vegetable oil is primarily used in citrus-flavored sodas, where it works as a stabilizer for the flavor oils. Potassium bromate acts a leavening agent, and propylparaben is a preservative. They are typically used in packaged baked goods, including tortillas, breads and pastries.
The most concerning additives are found in ultraprocessed foods.
Processed food has been altered from its original form, while utraprocessed food takes the process to a whole new level. That includes the packaged meats, cheese delights and other foods commonly sold in convenience stores and gas stations.
The International Food Information Council defines processing as “any deliberate change in a food that occurs before it is ready for us to eat.” The processes include heating, pasteurizing, canning, drying and even refrigeration. Processing doesn’t always equate to health concerns but ultra-processed foods have been linked to health problems, obesity and cancer.
Ultra-processed foods were first introduced in 2009 by a Brazilian nutrition researcher, Carlos A. Monteiro. Monteiro and his researchers defined ultra-processed foods as “industrial formulations with five or more ingredients” that include lots of sugar, salt and oils to enhance flavors and textures.
Some foods to stay away from because of their ultra-processed ingredients include sweetened breakfast cereals, soda, flavored potato chips, white bread, fried chicken, candy bars with long ingredient lists, frozen, blended coffee drinks, mashed potato flakes, energy drinks, flavored granola bars with added sugar and preservatives and artificially flavored cheese crackers, to name a few.
Ingredients in ultra-processed foods are likely to far exceed the American Heart Association’s recommendations that men have no more than about 9 teaspoons of added sugar, or 36 grams, per day and women should take in no more than 6 teaspoons, or 25 grams, per day.
For a few factoids about the holiday, the National Retail Federation reported that Americans are predicted to spend nearly $2.6 billion on candy this Halloween.
The department of epidemiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health noted that the average Halloween candy haul contains between 3,500 and 7,000 calories.
Studies show that kids can consume up to three cups of sugar eating Halloween candy, equal to almost 169 sugar cubes.
CandyStore.com said the most popular candy by state was Skittles, followed by Reese’s and M&M’s.
Vox estimated that 300,000 tons of candy are sold during the Halloween season, including 90 million pounds of chocolate.
Livestrong.com came up with the 20 most questionable candies. They are:
1. Sour Patch Kids “Sour and Sweet, Soft and Chewy” come in fruity flavors and colors but aren’t derived from actual fruit and instead consist mostly of sugar and corn syrup, artificial flavors and food dye colors.
2. Candy Corn “Naturally and Artificially Flavored” may be tasty but it is filled with sugar. Brands that list “real honey” as an ingredient, contain 28 grams of sugar and several artificial colors in just one serving of 19 pieces.
3. Butterfinger “Crispety, Crunchety, Peanut Buttery” bars have 85 calories, four grams of fat and a whopping 8.5 grams of sugar in along with artificial ingredients, like citric acid and Tertiary butylhydroquinone, or TBHQ, and citric acid.
TBHQ is an additive used to extend shelf life and prevent rancidity. It’s a light-colored crystalline product with a slight odor and it protects food with iron discoloration. It’s also included in paints, varnishes, and skin care products.
The Centers for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) found that TBHQ increased the incidence of tumors in rats. The National Library of Medicine cited cases of vision disturbances and studies that have found TBHQ to cause liver enlargement, neurotoxic effects, convulsions, and paralysis in laboratory animals.
And Butterfingers sticks to your teeth.
4. Twizzlers “Totally Twisted Product of the USA” are mostly sugar along with some refined flour and artificial additives. One piece provides five grams of sugar but who eats just one?
5. Hershey’s Take 5 “Pretzels, Caramel, Peanut Butter, Peanuts and Chocolate Bar” lists its top ingredient as partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, a major trans-fat source. One bar pack has 18 grams of sugar and a quarter of the Daily Value for inflammatory saturated fat.
6. Baby Ruth “No Artificial Flavors or Colors” are covered with peanuts but sugar is the primary ingredient with 10 grams for a “fun size” bar.
7. Fun Dip “Cherry Yum Diddly Dip” is about 100 percent sugar with a smidge of artificial colors and flavors. One snack-size pouch has 13 grams of sugar, about the same as licking a bowl of sugar.
8. M&Ms “chocolate candies” get their rainbow colors from combinations of Blue 1 Lake, Yellow 6, Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1, Red 40 Lake, Blue 2 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake and Blue 2. They also contain genetically modified or bioengineered organisms (GMOs), from sugar and soy and artificial flavors.
9. Raisinets “California Raisins Covered In Chocolate” would be healthier if they weren’t coated with a thick layer of sugar and milk chocolate.
Raisins are healthy but not so much when they’re coated with sugar and milk chocolate.
10. 3 Musketeers “Share Your Shine Message” has five grams of saturated fat and more sugar than three Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Hydrogenated palm kernel oil and/or palm oil is an ingredient and more than 80 percent of the fat in palm kernel oil is saturated. Saturated fat has long been linked to heart disease.
11. Twix “Triple Chocolate” bars have a mountainous 17 grams of sugar, along with artificial flavors, corn syrup and soy lecithin.
12. Milky Way “candy bar” should be called sugar way as each “fun size” bar packs 21 grams of sugar and hydrogenated palm kernel oil.
13. Kit Kat Bar “Crisp Wafers in Milk Chocolate” is mostly made with palm kernel oil, seven grams of saturated fat, 21 grams of sugar and soy lecithin.
14. Starburst “fruit chews” are devoid of fruit but are rife with corn syrup, sugar and apple-juice concentrate, culminating in 22 grams of sugar in just nine pieces.
15. Mounds’ jingle is “Sometimes you feel like a nut / sometimes you don’t / Almond Joy’s got nuts / Mounds don’t.” Nuts are not on the ingredient list but there is a long of are high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors and colors, and 10 grams of saturated fat per bar or 50 percent of the daily recommended value, and you have the recipe for Mounds. And each bar has 275 calories.
16. Dots “Assorted fruit-flavored gumdrops” and they are vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, and kosher. But they also are chocked with corn syrup, sugar, food starch-modified, malic acid, natural and artificial flavors, sodium citrate, and artificial colors that combine to create “fruit flavored.”
17. Reese’s Pieces “Creamy or Crunchy?” start with sugar, hydrogenated palm kernel and soybean oil, corn syrup, dextrose, artificial colors Yellow 5 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake and Red 40 Lake.
18. Whoppers “Classic, snackable, reminds you of the movies” list the first three ingredients as sugar, corn syrup and hydrogenated palm kernel oil. One serving of 18 little balls totals 24 grams of sugar and seven grams of saturated fat.
19. Skittles “Sink Your Fangs Into Something Sweet” comes from lots of sugar and nine artificial colors: Red 40 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, Blue 2 Lake, Blue 1 Lake, Yellow 6, Red 40, Yellow 5 and Blue 1.
20. A Snickers bar “Made With Rich Chocolate, Silky Caramel, Chewy Nougat & Packed With Crunchy Nutty Goodness” has 17 grams of sugar and trans fats from partially hydrogenated soybean oil.
Dentists warn against eating Jawbreakers and suckers because they can crack or chip teeth and because prolonged presence in the mouth provides a breeding ground for bacteria. Taffy, caramels, and gummy candies get lodged in the nooks and crannies of the teeth, making them difficult to remove even after brushing, leaving sugar residues.
Many sour candies have a high pH level which can cause the enamel to break down, leading to sensitivity and other dental issues. Instead of candy, some dentists hand out toothbrushes to trick or treaters.
Happy Halloween.