Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Candy corn is a candy that is very polarizing. Some love it, some hate it, but candy corn certainly is a staple of Halloween.

Pro Candy Corn

By: John Leonardo

Halloween is one of America’s favorite holidays, reeling in free mounds of sugar-filled candies for countless trick-or-treaters around the country. However, there is only one candy that tops them all, one that’s been there throughout the ages, one that spreads endless holiday spirit and the aroma of the fall season: candy corn.

Candy corn has been, and always will be, the quintessential candy of the Halloween season. One simply cannot enjoy the exciting and festive holiday without snacking on this delicious treat. Besides its pleasantly addicting and ever-satisfying taste, candy corn, when stacked on top of each other, resembles an actual corn on the cob! What other candy looks like its name?

If you’re still skeptical about the taste, look at the history. The candy goes back to the core roots of Halloween. Back in the day, there weren’t any of those high sugar, king-size candies that we have now like jumbo Snickers bars and oversized Reese’s. Back then, they had ol’ reliable candy corn: the sweet that brought immense joy and pleasure to all of the little kids on their one night of trick-or-treating. Are we just going to abandon this historic and symbolic, not to mention tasty, treat on the holiday that is centered around candy? It’s in the name; candy corn.

Besides its momentous history, take a glance at candy corn’s amazingly long lifespan. These babies can rest day and night exposed to the open air and dramatic changes in weather patterns while consistently bringing a crisp yet sweet and soft taste to the mouth. It’s particularly like those plastic decorative fruits like apples or lemons, it never goes bad. Thanks to sugar and salt being the majority of the ingredients, candy corn can sit on the shelf all year and still taste like it’s fresh and dandy.

Some consumers have claimed that the dyes in candy corn may lead to cancer in animals, but how can they be so sure? Almost anything can be linked to some random disease these days, meaning the claims against candy corn could easily be false and unlikely. In fact, the harmless colorings are still rightfully approved by the FDA, which ensures some guaranteed safety. We eat foods like yogurt and cereal with artificial colors in them all the time, so what’s one little centimeter-long candy going to do?  

Candy corn and it’s beautiful striking colors are here to stay. The best way to truly enjoy the fall weather while jumping into the Halloween spirit is to kick back, relax and pop a couple of tasty candy corns.

—————————————————————————————————————————

Anti-Candy Corn

By: Natinael Tilahun

We’ve all heard of that one dreaded cliche of the family who gives out an apple on  Halloween. Well for most, candy corn is an equivalent. Candy corn is by far the worst candy of all time. It has haunted kids for decades with its awkward texture and false advertising of it being either a candy or a corn.

Beyond the unsettling taste and many other undesirable features, candy corn is actually highly unsafe, as the Yellow 6 dye has been found to cause tumors in animal testing according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Even more disturbing is a study conducted by the organization that showed both the Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 dye used in candy corn bringing the risk of causing cancer after being eaten. For every other candy in stores, folks are sometimes worried about how much sugar and fat it brings into our systems, but that all pales in comparison to running the risk of developing cancer for such a mediocre treat.

Furthermore, candy corn just simply does not taste good. It gets stuck to your teeth and the texture is the same as butter. Wax is an ingredient used in candy corn, I don’t know about everyone else, but I surely would not like to eat wax.

Candy corn is also visually unappealing. When you see an M&M, Kit Kat or Snickers logo, you’re most likely in the mood for one of those treats. Candy corn does not elicit the same desire, as it normally comes in a pathetic clear bag with poor advertising. As sight contributes to taste, it’s no wonder why candy corn tastes so bad.