On Halloween, a national holiday, where you’re pretty much
encouraged and urged to overdo it on sweets, adults are expected to
fork over a whopping $1.89 billion for candies, which they’ll pass out to trick-or-treaters this year, according to a new study from IBISWorld market research firm.
I guess these candy buyers just aren’t aware of the dangers of sugar and refined carbs.
Even worse, despite the fact that one in three children or teens are
overweight or obese, sales of health-harming, mostly empty-calorie
sugary “treats” in 2009 are up by 6.8% over last year.
Indeed,
despite the bad economy, people’s appetite for sweets has increased.
(As my clients often complain, when times are tough, they find that
their sugar addiction gets worse.)
Interestingly, people are spending nearly as much on candies as on
costumes. Indeed, the $1.89 figure for candies is just shy of the $2.2 billion in projected sales for fanciful outfits. In all, Halloween will cost consumers $6 billion this year.
Apparently American adults, like their kids, are so keen on sweets
that they can’t wait until Halloween before they delve into their
stash.
According to the National Confectioners Association, “40 percent of American adults admit to stashing a few pieces of candy from the trick-or-treat bowl before the ghosts and goblins show up on October 31.”
Meanwhile, the candy association also found that:
- Four in ten adults (or 41%) admit that they sneak sweets from their own candy bowl.
- 62% of adults plan to give candies because “it’s a personal favorite”
or a household tradition (55%). - 90% of parents admit they sneak
“goodies” from their kids’ trick-or-treat bags.
Talk about sugar-obsessed people!
Lest you’re tempted by the image of candy corn, I urge you to first
learn the nutrition facts, thanks to DietFacts.com. For instance, according to Brach’s,
22 pieces are 140 calories. They also contain 75 mg of sodium, as well
as 36 grams of carbs and 31 grams (7.75 tsp.) of sugar. They also have
absolutely no fiber (9 grams) and no protein (0 grams).
The ingredients contain sugar, corn syrup, salt, honey,
confectioner’s glze, gelatin, dextrose, artificial colors (titanium
dioxide, Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Red 3, Blue 1), sesame oil and artificial
flavor.
Still tempted by the candy corn?
Stay tuned for tips to have a healthy Halloween.