Study breaks down the Halloween candy with the scariest amount of sugar

A recent study gives new meaning to the term ‘sugar rush’ on Halloween. And it also could mean you may want to steal more than just your kids’ Reese’s peanut butter cups come candy sorting time. The research found our kids could be consuming an entire day’s worth of sugar intake in just a couple of bites. 

The research conducted by Snusboss looked at more than 50 popular candies for its findings to determine which ones were the biggest offenders regarding sugar content. 

In at #1? The ever-popular Nerds, with a whopping 93g of sugar per 100g. With over 135,000 pounds of the colorful little bead-like candies produced every single day, the recommended serving size of 15g represents 27% of the daily recommended added sugar intake. 

Eat a tad more than what’s recommended, and you’ll ingest more sugar than an energy drink—which have already been deemed harmful to kids due to its dangerously high sugar and caffeine content. 

Sour Patch Kids comes in at number two on the list, which, despite their relatively low-calorie content of 367 calories per 100g, still contain a significant 80g of sugar. These fun-shaped snacks have enjoyed popularity among consumers since their establishment in 1985. 

In third place, you may want to swim as fast as you can away from these sugar-laden gummy snacks. Swedish Fish may be addictingly delicious, but indulging in just five of these fish-shaped candies will contribute to nearly half of your entire recommended daily added sugar intake.

Rounding out the top five is the ever-controversial candy corn (you either love it or hate it) and—say it isn’t so—Skittles! 

Sugar Babies, Sweet Tarts, Blow Pops and Dum Dums also all ranked pretty high in the sugar high roundup. It’s also important to note that these are all the candies that are relatively allergy-friendly, thinning the already short list of Halloween candy options for kids with nut allergies. 

In contrast, the study also looked at some of the lowest-sugar choices your children should reach for on Halloween night: Twizzlers, Butterfingers, Mounds Bars, and Haribo Goldbears gummy bears all made the nice list. 

“Whether you prefer traditional favorites or are curious about new options, you can use this knowledge to make mindful choices when choosing which Halloween candy to give to trick-or-treaters this year,” says spokesperson Matti Ketolainen. “It also serves as a valuable resource for parents, helping them make informed choices for their children when trick-or-treating.”