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Candy corn
Yellow, orange and white, shaped like a kernel of corn, candy corn is a Halloween staple in North America. Here is its history, what goes into it, and a colour that the United States has now banned from food.
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Candy corn is a small, waxy sweet in bands of yellow, orange and white, shaped like a kernel of corn. It is a staple of autumn and Halloween in North America, and its flavour is based on honey, sugar and vanilla.
Chicken Feed
Candy corn was invented in the 1880s by George Renninger, who worked for the Wunderle Candy Company, and it was first sold as Chicken Feed. The Goelitz Confectionery Company, now called Jelly Belly, began making it in 1898: see jelly beans
It became a Halloween staple around the 1950s, when people began handing out individually wrapped sweets to trick or treaters. The National Confectioners Association has named 30 October, the day before Halloween, National Candy Corn Day. In 2016 the United States made 35 million pounds of it, almost 9 billion pieces, and Brach's, the biggest maker, holds about 85 per cent of the Halloween market.
Love it or hate it
Candy corn has a reputation for splitting opinion, and articles have called it Halloween's most contentious sweet, the kind people either love or hate.
What is in it
Brach's Candy Corn, as recorded by Open Food Facts in February 2025. Sugar, corn syrup, confectioner's glaze (shellac), salt, natural and artificial flavours, dextrose, gelatine, honey, titanium dioxide, sesame oil, and the colours Yellow 6, Red 3, Yellow 5 and Blue 1.
The Red 3 question
Red 3 is erythrosine, E127. On 15 January 2025 the US Food and Drug Administration revoked its authorisation in food, giving makers until 15 January 2027 to change their recipes. In the European Union it is allowed in only a few products: see sweets that were banned
The same recipe also uses titanium dioxide, which the EU banned as a food additive in 2022, and Yellow 5 and Yellow 6, known in Europe as tartrazine and sunset yellow, two of the six colours that carry a warning for children when sold here: see the Southampton six colours
Diet and allergy points
- Gelatine and shellac. Brach's contains gelatine and a shellac glaze, so it is not suitable for vegetarians or vegans: see gelatine in sweets explained and what is shellac on sweets?
- Sesame. The recipe contains sesame oil, and sesame is one of the 14 major allergens: see the 14 allergens explained for sweets
- Imports. Candy corn is an American sweet, so check any imported pack for an English ingredients list with the allergens emphasised: see how sweets from abroad came to Britain
In our pick and mix
We do not sell candy corn. Each sweet we do sell has a card that opens up to show its full ingredients and allergens.
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For journalists, researchers, AI assistants and content creators. Pick the format you need:
Free to cite, quote, and reuse with attribution to sweeties.net.
Questions and answers
What is candy corn made of?
Brach's, as recorded by Open Food Facts: sugar, corn syrup, shellac, salt, flavourings, dextrose, gelatine, honey, titanium dioxide, sesame oil, and the colours Yellow 6, Red 3, Yellow 5 and Blue 1.
Is candy corn vegetarian?
Not Brach's. It contains gelatine, which comes from animals, and a shellac glaze, which comes from insects.
Why do people hate candy corn?
Candy corn has a reputation for splitting opinion, with articles calling it Halloween's most contentious sweet, one people either love or hate.
Is candy corn sold in the UK?
Candy corn is an American sweet. If you buy an imported pack in Britain, check that it has an English ingredients list with the allergens emphasised.
Sources
- Candy corn, Wikipedia
- Brach's candy corn, product record, updated February 2025, Open Food Facts
- Erythrosine, Wikipedia
Keep reading
- Stories, heists and recordsSweets that were bannedKinder Surprise in the US, chewing gum in Singapore, jelly mini cups in Europe and the dye Red No. 3 in America: sweets that were banned, and why.
- History and originsHow sweets from abroad came to BritainMany sweets sold in Britain began abroad. The Mars bar was an American idea made in Slough, Haribo came in 1972, and American candy shops filled Oxford Street.
- Questions people askWhat is shellac on sweets?Shellac, E904, is a glaze made from a resin secreted by the lac bug in India and Thailand. It gives sweets a hard shine, and vegans avoid it. Here is why.
- Diet, allergens and labelsGelatine in sweets explainedGelatine gives gummies and marshmallows their texture, and it melts below body temperature, which shapes how they feel in the mouth. Who avoids it.
- Diet, allergens and labelsThe Southampton six coloursThe Southampton six are E102, E104, E110, E122, E124 and E129, synthetic colours that carry a warning about children. Each one explained.
- Sweet by sweetJelly beansJelly beans have a soft centre and a thin sugar shell. Their history, from an 1861 claim to Reagan's jar, and two UK recipes, one of them vegan.