Debates about the best and worst Halloween candy can get pretty heated. But a recent conversation about the pros and cons of Almond Joy and candy corn had us thinking: What exactly are these treats made of?
A lot of things, actually. We poked around and were not so pleased to find out that some of those bite-size treats contain almost 30 ingredients. Here’s the breakdown of this year’s top-selling Halloween candy, according to the National Confectioners’ Association. (For the record, candy corn didn’t make the list, but it contains about 18 ingredients.)
Twix: 28 ingredients
Milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, skim milk, lactose, milkfat, soy lecithin, PGPR, artificial flavors), sugar, enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), palm oil, corn syrup, skim milk, dextrose, food starch-modified, salt, cocoa powder, baking soda, soy lecithin, artificial flavor. May contain almonds.
Almond Joy: 27 ingredients
Corn syrup, milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, milk, lactose, milk fat, nonfat milk, soy lecithin, PGPR emulsifier), coconut, sugar, almonds roasted in cocoa butter and/or sunflower oil, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (soybean and palm oil), whey, cocoa, salt, natural and artificial flavor, chocolate, soy lecithin, hydrolyzed milk protein, sodium metabisulfite (to maintain freshness), sulfur dioxide to maintain freshness, caramel color.
M&Ms: 26 ingredients
Milk chocolate (sugar, chocolate, skim milk, cocoa butter, lactose, milkfat, soy lecithin, salt, artificial flavor), sugar, cornstarch, less than 1 percent corn syrup, dextrin, coloring (includes blue 1 lake, yellow 6, red 40, yellow 5, blue 1, red 40 lake, blue 2 lake, yellow 6 lake, blue 2), gum acacia. Contains milk and soy. May contain peanuts.
Snickers (fun size): 20 ingredients
Milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, skim milk, lactose, milkfat, soy lecithin, artificial flavor), peanuts, corn syrup, sugar, milkfat, skim milk, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, lactose, salt, egg whites, chocolate, artificial flavor. May contain almonds.
Milky Way: 21 ingredients
Milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, skim milk, chocolate, lactose, milkfat, soy lecithin, artificial flavor), corn syrup, sugar, hydrogenated palm kernel oil and/or palm oil, skim milk, less than 2 percent milk fat, cocoa powder processed with alkali, malted barley, lactose, salt, egg whites, chocolate, artificial flavor.
3 Musketeers: 16 ingredients
Milk chocolate (sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, skim milk, lactose, milkfat, soy lecithin), sugar, corn syrup, hydrogenated palm kernel oil and or/palm oil, cocoa powder processed with alkali, salt, egg whites, artificial and natural flavors.
KitKat: 15 ingredients
Sugar, wheat flour, nonfat milk, cocoa butter, chocolate, palm kernel oil, lactose, milk fat, soy lecithin, PGPR emulsifier, yeast, vanillin, artificial flavor, salt, sodium bicarbonate.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups: 13 ingredients
Milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, nonfat milk, mlk fat, lactose, soy lecithin, PGPR emulsifier), peanuts, sugar, dextrose, salt, TBHQ (preservative).
Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar: 10 ingredients
Milk chocolate (sugar, milk, chocolate, cocoa butter, lactose, milk fat, soy lecithin, PGPR emulsifier, vanillin, artificial flavor).
