Candy

History

The word candy entered English from Old French çucre candi, with earlier roots in Arabic qandi, Persian qand, and Sanskrit khanda, all meaning sugar. Sugarcane, native to tropical South and Southeast Asia, was boiled into sugar pieces in ancient India and called khanda. Between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE, Persians and later Greeks encountered Indian sugarcane and spread its cultivation. Before sugar was common, honey was used in Ancient China, the Middle East, Egypt, Greece, and Rome to coat fruits and flowers for preservation or candy.

Candy was often considered medicine before the Industrial Revolution, used to calm digestion or soothe sore throats. In the Middle Ages, only the wealthy had candy, which began as spiced sugar aids to digestion served at banquets; one type, chamber spice, included cloves, ginger, aniseed, juniper berries, almonds, and pine kernels dipped in melted sugar. The Middle English word candy appeared in the late 13th century. Candy reached America in the early 18th century from Britain and France, where few colonists could make it, and even rock candy was a luxury.

Nutrition

In US law, most sugar candies are defined as a food of minimal nutritional value. Even in cultures where sweets are common, candy provides little nutrition or food energy for most people; the average American consumes about 1.1 kg of sugar weekly, but nearly 95% of that comes from non-candy sources like soft drinks and processed foods. Candy is considered empty calories, offering little beyond food energy.

In the early 20th century, when undernutrition was widespread and nutrition science was new, candy's high calorie content was promoted as beneficial. Researchers suggested candy with milk and nuts could be a low-cost meal alternative, costing half as much as eggs for the same energy. During the 1920s and 1930s, five-cent candy bars were marketed as lunch replacements.

At the 1904 World Fair, Quaker Oats introduced a candy-coated puffed cereal; later, in 1939, Ranger Joe became the first pre-sweetened, candy-coated breakfast cereal. Post Foods released Sugar Crisp in 1948, marketed as both cereal and candy. More recently, snack bars like granola bars are marketed as nutritious alternatives to candy bars, but their nutritional value is often similar, with higher sodium and similar flavors.

Health effects

Candy's sugar is a key factor in dental caries; bacteria such as Streptococcus mutans metabolize sugar, producing acids that demineralize tooth enamel. Heavy or frequent consumption of high-sugar candies that stay in the mouth, like lollipops and sugary cough drops, increases caries risk, as do candies with enamel-dissolving acids. Cleaning teeth shortly after eating sugary foods and allowing several hours between such foods reduces risk. The link between candy and caries was formally identified in the Vipeholm experiments, where intellectually disabled people were fed large amounts of candy and developed poor dental health; these experiments are now considered to have violated multiple medical ethics principles.

Most candy, especially low-fat and fat-free types, has a high glycemic index, causing rapid blood sugar rises—a concern for diabetics and potentially dangerous for non-diabetics. Some candy has been contaminated with excessive lead, with claims dating to the mid-19th century, though early claims were rarely true. Contamination by viruses or bacteria is unlikely because bacteria cannot replicate in candy's dry, sweet environment. Hard, round candies are a choking hazard for children; some types, like Lychee Mini Fruity Gels, have caused so many choking deaths that their import or manufacture is banned in select countries.

Holidays

Halloween in America has become a draw for children who go door to door for free candy, dressing in costumes while residents hand out pre-packaged sweets, which parents prefer due to quality control. Name-brand candies are popular; in 2025, Reese's Cups were the top chocolate Halloween candy and Skittles the top non-chocolate. The tradition of handing out treats on Halloween originated from All Hallows Day (All Saints Day) in Christian tradition, when children traveled saying prayers for the dead and received homemade soul cakes—biscuit-like cakes with raisins or cinnamon—as rewards. Many soul cakes were also given to the poor.

The practice of giving trick-or-treaters candy began in the 1950s in the US; before that, households gave soul cakes and other homemade goods. Candy producers then marketed Halloween to sell their products, and households began buying candy because it was inexpensive, required no preparation, and came in bulk. Candy did not fully replace homemade treats until the 1970s; before then, givers also offered small toys and coins.

Did You Know?

• Sugar candies are commercially divided into groups based on sugar content and chemical structure, including hard-boiled, open-fire, pan work, and gum work candies.
• The final texture of sugar candy depends on the concentration of sugar, with higher temperatures and concentrations producing harder candies.
• Packaging materials for candy include wax paper, cellophane, polyethylene, and aluminum foil, each chosen for properties like moisture resistance or transparency.