Oh Sugar, Sugar
A nation of sweet teeth.Candy and gum ranked third among food categories in sales in 2005, according to the National Confectioners Association. Milk was second, while carbonated beverages were number one. Total retail confectionary sales in 2005 were $27.9 billion, with chocolate accounting for $15.7 billion, non-chocolate candy $8.7 billion and gum $3.5 billion. Supermarkets sold most of the sweets, with $4.3 billion in sales, followed by convenience stores ($3.8 billion) and Wal-Mart ($2.8 billion).
I got a rock. To celebrate the 40th anniversary airing of “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” on ABC, Snoopy.com hosted an essay contest looking for the best “Worst Halloween Ever” stories. The top 10 entries are posted at www.snoopy.com/comics/peanuts/greatpumpkin, and finalists received $100 worth of Peanuts merchandise. The grand prize winner will receive an all-expenses-paid trip for two to the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, CA. Lee Mendelson, executive producer of numerous animated Peanuts specials, said one of his worth Halloween experiences happened when he was 9 years old. “A friend and I went trick or treating on our block, and a ‘huge monster’ answered the door, scaring us out of our wits. We ran home and cowered all night. I didn’t go out on Halloween again for almost 40 years, but when I did, I took my 6 and 8 year old sons and a few friends to trick or treat. As we were walking down the street, a police car rolled up with a big police dog. I said, ‘Wow, kids look at the great costume THIS man has on!’ One of the kids said to my son, ‘Boy is your Dad stupid!'”
Corny, but sweet. October 30 is National Candy Corn Day. According to the National Confectioners Association, the treat was invented in the 1880s by George Renninger, an employee of the Wunderlee Candy Company. The Goelitz Candy Co. (now Jelly Belly Candy Co.) started making the confection in 1990 and still produces it today. More than 35 million pounds of candy corn – nearly 9 billion pieces — will be produced this year. But don’t worry about splurging: One serving of candy corn contains only about 140 calories.
Eat, film and watch. Butterfinger has launched a video contest on YouTube, encouraging candy loving videophiles to “Make the Most of Any Moment.” Entrants are asked to create original video shorts to “capture and redefine the moments that bore us most,” using Butterfinger and the candy’s “Finger” icon of course. The top 10 entrants will have their flicks posted on http://FollowtheFinger.com, where viewers will be able to vote. The grand prize winner will be awarded an “Ultimate Mobile Movie Studio,” including a state-of-the-art camera and video editing equipment package. Act – and film – quickly. The deadline is Nov. 1. If you’re looking for inspiration, each entrant receives two Butterfinger single bars.
Dip it in chocolate and we’ll talk. If you’re looking for something a bit healthier after all this candy (we can’t imagine why), you might want to try a snack or energy bar. The food category has grown significantly in recent years; in 2001, the industry was valued at $4.4 billion. Now, its up to $7.5 billion, according to Candy Industry magazine. Granola bars top the niche, at $646.4 million in sales, followed by breakfast cereal/snack bars at $574.1 million and nutritional/health bars at $510.7 million. Rice snack squares trailed at $129.9 million.
