Common knowledge tells you that candy is terrible for you. It is full of artificial sugars and other ingredients that have been refined beyond recognition, to the point where the end product has little – if any – nutritional value. The obvious consequences of eating too much sugary candy are a higher number of cavities, poor dental health, and obesity, but health experts are starting to see many other longer term consequences like higher rates of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. We decided to dig deep and come up with some common candy ingredients that you might share with your kids that’ll make them think twice about popping that next piece of candy into their mouths!
1. Candy contains bug poop – Okay, it’s not really poop, but a common ingredient in candy called shellac (used to make candy shiny) comes from the excretion of the female Lac beetle.
2. Candy comes from a beaver’s butt – Alright, maybe this is also a bit of a stretch, but glands near the anus of a beaver excrete a chemical called castoreum. Castoreum is often used to enhance flavor in vanilla and raspberry tasting foods, including candy.
3. Candy ingredients have been linked to ADHD – there is compelling evidence to suggest that food dyes common in many types of candy can trigger hyperactivity in children. In Europe, many of these dyes are banned, or there are warnings on food products containing them. But in Canada and the US they are still used freely.
4. The “lighter” side of a Butterfinger – one of the many ingredients of a Butterfinger is tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ). Where else might you find TBHQ? In lighter fluid.
5. How about some more animals? Gelatin is a thickening agent used in many types of gummy candy. Gelatin is extracted from animal skin and/or bones. Yum! (Not really.)
6. This is b-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-d – oil is extracted from sheep’s wool and processed into a gooey substance called lanolin. Lanolin is used in the production of bubble gum, but is conveniently renamed “gum base” (we presume “sheep hair oil” didn’t make the cut for being included on the ingredients list).
7. No bones about this one – calcium triphosphate is used to filter and discolour sugar, which, in one form or another, is a major ingredient in most candy products. And where does calcium triphosphate come from? Charred animal bones.
There are other ingredients used in candy, chocolate and other foods products that will make you a little queezy. While we don’t think the above list will stop your little ones from satisfying their sweet tooth, we would emphasize the importance of brushing and flossing on a regular basis, especially after they eat sugary candies. Bacteria naturally found in the mouth consume sugary saliva and produce an acidic chemical that can damage teeth, causing cavities and gum disease.
If you’re looking for a family dentist to help keep your and your family’s smiles healthy and beautiful, Orion Dental would love to help! Call either our Milton office at (905) 636 – 9770 or our Scarborough office at (416) 291 – 0306 and book an appointment.
FAQs
Sugar, mainly sucrose from sugar beets or sugarcane, is the major constituent of most candies. Other sweeteners employed in candy manufacture include corn syrup, corn sugar, honey, molasses, maple sugar, and noncaloric sweeteners. Sweeteners may be used in dry or liquid form.
What is the ingredient used in candy? ›
At the heart of almost every candy recipe lies sucrose crystals, making sugar the main ingredient. Complementing sugar is syrup, often derived from starch sources like corn or tapioca. This combination of sugars provides a stable and flavourful base for a variety of candies.
What are the bug ingredients in candy? ›
Shellac comes from lac bug
Another common ingredient in confectionery such as hard candies is shellac, also known as "confectioner's glaze." It's the same shellac that gives furniture and nail polish that nice, shiny finish.
What are the ingredients in sweets? ›
Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Vegetable Fat (Palm Oil), Citric Acid, Flavourings, Malic Acid, Sodium Bicarbonate, Colours E122, may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.
What are 5 facts about candy? ›
10 of the coolest candy facts:
- The world's first candy was made in ancient Egypt. ...
- The first candy cane was made in the late 1600s. ...
- The world's largest candy bar weighed over 12,000 pounds. ...
- The Hershey's Kiss got its name from the sound of the machine that makes them.
Carmine is a red dye used to create the red Skittles. Carmine is harvested from the cochineal scale insect. Shellac is a wax secreted by the lac insect, Kerria lacca. Food grade shellac is often used as a coating to seal the food and prevent transfer of the color dyes from the candy to the skin.
What candy has the most bugs? ›
Candy lovers beware: The hard, shiny shells on Junior Mints, Red Hots, Lemonhead, and Boston Baked Beans candies are glazed with secretions from lac bugs. Nearly 100,000 bugs die to produce about 1 pound of shellac flakes, which are combined with alcohol to make a confectioner's glaze.
Does candy corn have insects in it? ›
While it's true that an ingredient derived from insects, shellac, is used in candy corn, it's not true that bugs are a secret ingredient. Shellac is the secretion of the insect Laccifer lacca just like beeswax and honey are secretions from honeybees.
What ingredient is sweet? ›
In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketones, and sugar alcohols. Some are sweet at very low concentrations, allowing their use as non-caloric sugar substitutes. Such non-sugar sweeteners include saccharin, aspartame, sucralose and stevia.
What animal ingredients are in sweets? ›
The five most common animal-based ingredients in candy include carmine, milkfat, confectioner's glaze, gelatin, and honey.
INGREDIENTS: Sugar, Corn Syrup, Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil; Less Than 2% Of: Citric Acid, Tapioca Dextrin, Modified Corn Starch, Natural And Artificial Flavors, Sodium Citrate, Colors (Includes Red 40 Lake, Blue 2 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, Blue 1 Lake, Yellow 6, Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1), Carnauba Wax.
What animal parts are in candy? ›
The five most common animal-based ingredients in candy include carmine, milkfat, confectioner's glaze, gelatin, and honey. Luckily, there are vegan alternatives to these cruelly begotten animal ingredients commonly found in Halloween candy.
What elements make candy? ›
In general, candy is made by dissolving sugar into water to create a solution. Granulated sugar, the most common type used in candy-making, is sucrose, a disaccharide molecule made up of glucose and fructose.
What is the main sugar in candy? ›
Hard candies (also called boiled sweets) are single-phase, amorphous sugar candies that are commonly made from a combination of sucrose and glucose syrups. They are typically about 98% or more solid sugar.
