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10 Candy Facts That Will Blow Your Mind

The state of candy is looking way up. The 2021 State of Treating report by the National Confectioners Association (NCA) recorded $36.9B in total confectionery sales that year.

Additionally, the categories included in the report were chocolate with total sales of $21.1B, non-chocolate accounted for $12.7B, and gum & mints brought in $3.1B. Each of the three groups reflected an increase from the past year of 9.2% for chocolate, 14.5% for non-chocolate, and 3.8% for gum & mints. This growth is projected to reach $44.9 billion soon.

What鈥檚 more, the above report found that 78% of adults are supporters of occasional chocolate or candy treats. Further, 88% of consumers admitted that over half of the time they buy candy, they share it with their family and friends. Join us as we explore interesting truths surrounding this world of sweetness, flavors, and colors.

Here are the 10 Candy Facts That Will Blow Your Mind.

1. Your average candy consumption is over 20 pounds each year

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The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) announced that about 97% of Americans consume candy even if only once each year. This report was released in January 2015 under the title Candy Consumption Patterns, Effects on Health, and Behavioral Strategies to Promote Moderation.

Moreover, about 2.8 billion pounds of chocolate is consumed each year by Americans. This translates to 11 pounds per individual. Also, on average Americans eat between 22 to 25 pounds of candy every year. This figure is almost evenly split between candy and chocolate uptake.

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2. Americans’ top preferred candy is a battle

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When it comes to the cute chocolate rounds or the layers of milk chocolate sandwiched with creamy peanut butter, both are sweet treats. There seems to be no clear difference between M&Ms by Mars Wrigley and Reese鈥檚 by The Hershey Company.

M&Ms were introduced in 1941 and during the Second World War, they were sold only to the US military. This was a convenient way for the troops to enjoy chocolate in tropical climates without it melting in their hands. They exist in at least ten flavors. The dark brown original or classic flavor was invented first. It was followed by the yellow wrappers in 1954 which offer the peanut flavor.

Furthermore, according to Google Trends statistics, over the years, M&Ms original and peanut flavors top in preference across many US states. The two are the company鈥檚 oldest flavors thus their high preference is no surprise.

Additionally, a report by Penn Live which was conducted by Candy Club in 2020 revealed that Reese鈥檚 by The Hershey Company and M&Ms by Mars Wrigley are both strong favorites in the country. Thus deciding which of the two tops the candy chart is a matter of splitting hairs.

3. The first chocolate bar had to wait until 1847

Joseph Fry came up with a formula that helped find the right proportions of mixture for cocoa powder, sugar, and cocoa butter. The goal was to achieve a texture that could be molded into a solid chocolate bar.

Subsequently, Fry achieved the first mass-produced chocolate bar in 1847. Besides being famed for chocolate making, he is also celebrated as the founder of the Bristol branch of the Quaker Fry family.

4. We got the first machine-spun cotton candy in 1897

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It was thanks to the renowned American dentist William Morrison and confectioner John C. Wharton that the world saw the first machine-spun cotton in 1897. The machine was introduced to the public in 1904 at the World’s Fair. It was known as the Fairy Floss and over 68,000 boxes were sold at the event.

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5. First came the gummy bears and later gummy worms followed

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These fruit gum candies trace their origin to the German confectionery company called Trolli. The manufacturer developed the gummi bear candy in 1922 and it became a commercial success.

On top of that, on July 15, 1981 gummy worms were introduced. This was about sixty or so years since the existence of gummy bears. Thus July 15 is celebrated as Gummy Worm Day in several countries.

6. See’s Candies set a lollipop world record in 2012

This California-based candy producer made a record in the Guinness World Records in July 2012 for the world鈥檚 largest lollipop. The candy weighed about 3176.5 kilograms or 7,003 pounds. Its height was about 16’7″ or 5.1m. Thus it broke the previous world record held by Ashrita Furman of 6,514 pounds. Furman is celebrated for setting and breaking over 700 world records.

7. The most expensive chocolate egg ever sold is the Golden Speckled

According to the Guinness World Records, this ‘Golden speckled egg’ was sold during an auction at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. It sold for about 拢7,000 or $11,107 on 20 March 2012. This creative work was credited to UK鈥檚 confectioners William Curley, Amy Rose Curley, Alistair Birt, Sarah Frankland, Melissa Paul, and Rhiann Mead. Suzue Curley from Japan was also part of the team.

Furthermore, this chocolate egg was made from Amedei Chocolate and an edible gold leaf. Its fillings consisted of couture chocolate and truffles. The egg was decorated with 12 smaller chocolate eggs, it also had 20 mini chocolate bars as well as 5 white flowers.

The work took over three days to be completed. The result was about 50 kilograms or 110.23 pounds in weight. In height, it measured 107 cm or 3 feet 6.13 inches. Its width was 54 cm or 1 foot 9.26 inches.

8. Turkish Delight is one of the world鈥檚 oldest sweets

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These sweets have been around for over five centuries. Lokum as it is commonly known by the natives dates back to its origin in the late 18th century. It became popular in Turkey during the 19th century and it has remained a favorite to the Turkish people and beyond since then. The candy is a soft jewel-like sugar treat.

9. Candy corn was named “Chicken Feed” at its start

This Halloween candy favorite was commercially produced in 1898 by the Jelly Belly Candy Company. At the time their name was Herman Goelitz Candy Company and their address was Cincinnati, Ohio.

Over and above that, during this era, corn was not perceived to be people’s food by most Americans. Thus the confectionary chose to market their candy corn under the name 鈥淐hicken Feed鈥�.

To add on, the boxes in which the candy was packed had the logo of a rooster on the front. The tagline read “something worth crowing for.” In those early years of candy corn, it wasn鈥檛 geared at trick-or-treaters. 

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10. One of the world’s largest chocolate bar records was made in 2011

One of The Guinness World Records entries for the largest chocolate bar was made on 7 October 2011. This chocolate bar was manufactured by the British chocolate producer, Thorntons plc in Derbyshire, UK during their 100th anniversary. The bar weighed over 5,792.50 kilograms or 12,770 pounds. Its other measurements were, 4.0 m or over 13 feet by 4.0 m (over 13 feet) by 0.35 m (over 1 foot).

As we wrap up these 10 intriguing facts about candy, we hope it opened your eyes to the sweet wonders that are around us. Keep enjoying the realm of candy as you savor the countless flavors that surround you.