Sweets that were banned

Sweets do sometimes get banned. Sometimes the problem is a toy, sometimes it is a choking risk, and sometimes it is a single ingredient. Here are the sweet bans worth knowing about.

Kinder Surprise in America

Kinder Surprise eggs cannot be sold in the United States, because a 1938 law bans sweets with a non food object embedded inside them. Kinder Joy, which keeps the toy in a separate half of the pack, gets round the rule: see why Kinder Surprise is banned in America

Chewing gum in Singapore

Singapore banned the sale of chewing gum in 1992, after vandals stuck gum on the door sensors of its trains. Chewing gum there is not illegal, and it is not punished by caning, whatever the stories say: see why is chewing gum banned in Singapore?

Jelly mini cups in Europe

Jelly mini cups are firm jellies in small semi rigid cups, meant to be squeezed so the whole jelly shoots into the mouth in one go. Those made with konjac, E425, have been banned in the EU since 2002, and those made with a list of other gelling agents from seaweed and gums since 2004, because of the choking risk.

The Food Standards Agency explains that the cups combine several risk factors: their firm consistency, their shape and size, and the way they are eaten, which can leave them blocked in the throat. It adds that a warning on the label would not be enough to protect people, especially children. England made its own regulations on jelly mini cups in 2009, with separate rules for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Red No. 3 in America

On 15 January 2025, the US Food and Drug Administration revoked the authorisation of the red dye FD&C Red No. 3 in food, giving manufacturers until 15 January 2027 to reformulate. It had been used in sweets, cakes, biscuits, frozen desserts and icing. The FDA acted under the Delaney Clause, a 1960 law that rules out any colour found to cause cancer in humans or animals, after studies showed cancer in male rats given high doses. The FDA says the way it causes cancer in male rats does not occur in humans.

The same dye, erythrosine, has the E number E127. In the European Union it is only allowed in a few products, such as processed cherries: see what are E numbers in sweets?

Titanium dioxide

Titanium dioxide, E171, a white colouring used in some sweets, was banned as a food additive in the EU from August 2022, after the European Food Safety Authority said it could no longer be considered safe. After its own review, it is still permitted in Great Britain.

Sweet cigarettes

Sweet cigarettes have been banned in several countries, including Australia and Brazil. In the UK they are still sold, as candy sticks: see sweet cigarettes

Keeping sweets away from children

Britain also has rules about where sweets can be sold and given out. In England, the school food standards say plainly that confectionery must not be provided in schools: see the history of the tuck shop. Since 1 October 2022, medium and large shops in England have not been allowed to put less healthy food, including many sweets, near checkouts, at store entrances or on aisle ends: see why sweets were moved away from the checkout

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