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6 Halloween Candies Hiding a Spooky Secret

By gutcheckprd

Think the scariest thing in your kid’s trick-or-treat bag is the sugar? Think again.

Every October, we grab the same big bags of candy. Instacart’s sales data shows Americans buy the same favorites year after year: chocolate first, then the chewy, fruity and sour stuff.

But many of these classics are made with fake dyes made from petroleum and lab-made preservatives. Some of these ingredients need a warning label in Europe. Here, most shoppers have no idea.

Here’s what’s really inside some of America’s favorite Halloween candy.

1. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Why you love it: It’s the #1 best-selling candy in 40 states.

The catch: Reese’s uses TBHQ, a lab-made preservative from petroleum that keeps the oils from going bad. The FDA caps how much can be used, but animal studies have tied high doses to immune problems and cell damage.

Plot twist: Europe doesn’t get a cleaner cup. Hershey says it uses the same recipe there. And this February, the grandson of the man who invented Reese’s publicly accused Hershey of swapping real chocolate and peanut butter for cheaper stuff in some Reese’s spinoffs. Hershey says the classic cups haven’t changed.

2. M&M’s

Why you love it: Peanut M&M’s are the #2 Halloween candy in the country, right behind Reese’s.

The catch: Those bright colors come from five fake dyes: Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1 and Blue 2. Studies have linked artificial dyes to hyperactivity and attention problems in some kids.

Broken promise: Back in 2016, Mars promised to get rid of fake colors within five years. In 2021, it quietly backed out for the U.S. while still removing them in Europe. Mars finally launched dye-free M&M’s this August, but online through Amazon, not in the Halloween aisle. The regular bags at the store still list the same dyes.

3. Snickers

Why you love it: Peanuts, caramel, nougat. It’s a top-five Halloween seller nationwide.

The catch: No fake dyes here, but U.S. Snickers are built on corn syrup, palm oil, soy lecithin and artificial flavor. It’s a candy bar built for flavor, not nutrition.

Also: Mars has faced pressure for years over deforestation and murky sourcing in its West African cocoa supply.

4. Kit Kat

Why you love it: That crispy wafer snap.

The catch: American Kit Kats are made by Hershey, and they’re different from the ones sold overseas. The U.S. version uses fake vanilla flavor (vanillin) and PGPR, a cheap additive used in place of pricier cocoa butter. Kit Kats made outside the U.S. use sunflower lecithin instead, with no PGPR or fake vanilla.

Heavy metal alert: Testing on chocolate products has found traces of lead and cadmium, which build up in cocoa plants. The FDA has no firm limit for either. For lead in candy kids eat, it only has a voluntary guideline from 2006. For cadmium, nothing.

5. Sour Patch Kids

Why you love it: It’s the best-selling non-chocolate Halloween candy in the country.

The catch: They’re colored with Red 40, Yellow 5 and Blue 1. In Europe, candy with Red 40 or Yellow 5 must carry a label warning it may affect activity and attention in children. In the U.S., no warning is required. Maker Mondelez says it’s switching to natural colors, but hasn’t said when.

Your dentist won’t love this either: Sour candy is loaded with acids, and snacking on it often can wear down tooth enamel.

6. Skittles

Why you love it: Chewy, fruity and every color of the rainbow in one handful.

The catch: For years, Skittles contained titanium dioxide, a whitener used to make the colors pop. Europe’s food safety agency said in 2021 it could no longer call it safe because of concerns about DNA damage, and the EU banned it in 2022. Mars kept using it in American Skittles for about three more years before quietly dropping it.

Still a rainbow of fake dyes: Skittles still use Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1 and Blue 2. Mars now makes a dye-free version colored with beet juice, turmeric and spirulina. But just like the dye-free M&M’s, it launched on Amazon, not in stores.

Wait, so cleaner candy already exists?

Yep. That’s the most frustrating part.

In Europe, M&M’s get many of their colors from plant sources like turmeric and the orange pigment in carrots. And this August, Mars launched dye-free M&M’s, Skittles and Starburst in the U.S. The big candy companies clearly know how to do it. So far, though, the cleaner versions are sold online, not in the Halloween aisle.

Why isn’t the FDA stepping in?

  • Slow rules. Europe went back and re-checked its food additives. The FDA doesn’t have to. It banned Red 3 in January 2025, decades after it was linked to cancer in animals, and companies have until January 2027 to stop using it. Six other petroleum dyes are still allowed. The FDA only asked companies to drop them voluntarily, and it has already pushed that target back to 2027.
  • No warning labels. Europe warns parents about certain dyes right on the package. The U.S. doesn’t.
  • A sneaky loophole. Right now, companies can decide on their own that a new ingredient is safe without telling the FDA. The FDA proposed closing that loophole in August, and public comments are open until December 9.

What you can do this Halloween

  • Flip the bag over and read the label. Look for Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1 and Blue 2.
  • Look for candy colored with fruit, vegetable or plant extracts.
  • Try the dye-free versions online if your kids can’t give up their favorites.
  • Speak up. Tell the FDA what you think before the December 9 comment deadline.

Candy companies change when shoppers make them. Every bag you buy (or don’t) sends a message.