Although considered the Halloween poster-child, candy corn is a waxy and tasteless disgrace to the holiday.
Candy corn is pyramid-shaped with three different sections of colors: white, orange and yellow. The yellow end resembles that of a kernel, which, in all honesty, is off-putting. A candy corn is just naturally unappealing and unattractive compared to other candy.
The Halloween treat was invented in the 1880’s by George Renninger, an employee of the Wunderle Candy Company in Philadelphia. The candy, originally called “Chicken Feed,” was inspired by chicken food — which is the only thing I’d feed this candy to.
Candy corn is made from sugar, corn syrup, confectioner’s glaze, salt, dextrose, gelatin, sesame oil and honey resulting in a waxy, yet crumbly texture which transitions from firm to a sticky and chewy texture.
Candy corn’s odd, waxy consistency makes it tough for saliva to break down, sticking to your teeth and causing decay. Loaded with sugar but lacking essential macronutrients like protein, fat or fiber, it adds nothing but health risks like poor dental health and diabetes.
Halloween treats should be diverse and not reliant on one simple traditional option.
Candies like Skittles, Sour Patch Kids, Kit-Kat and Hershey’s are better choices than candy corn and are more deserving of the spotlight. Why? Well, candy corn is not as versatile as others.
Take, for example, any chocolate candy. You can use them in other sweet treats like cookies and brownies. Delicious! With candy corn, you just mix it into a bowl with peanuts and somehow it’s better than a Hershey’s chocolate chip brownie? Insane!
Growing up I often avoided candy corn due to my nut allergy because people would often combine candy corn with nuts, an issue others may face too. But, there were also just better alternatives to get from the snack table.
Candy corn should not be the primary candy feature for Halloween. Other candies allow kids to engage with different flavors, textures and even colors.
There are just so many options other than choosing some waxy candy corn. The price of candy corn usually ranges from $2 to $12. So why buy candy corn when you can get better candy for less than a dollar?
With candy corn prices rising faster than other Halloween treats, it’s tough to justify its place in the treat lineup for this holiday. The price of candy corn increased last year 11% compared to other candies like Hershey’s Kisses at 6.75% and Gummy Bears at 5.58%.
Candy corn should not even be considered a contender for the Halloween staple candy. So, for this Halloween, leave the candy corn on the shelf and pick a treat that really delivers on its taste, texture and quality.
Categories: Opinion
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