Halloween Treats Get Real: Necco Wafers Are Now All Natural
posted by: Beth B. 30 days ago
When you are a child, candy is your currency. You dream about it, save your pennies to buy it, and trade it for your friend's most coveted treats at lunch time.
If your childhood love affair with candy included a healthy preoccupation with the iconic Necco Wafers, you'll be happy to learn that the "162-year-old Massachusetts company is taking its venerable Necco Wafers all-natural, making them the largest mass-produced candy line in the U.S. to shed artificial flavoring and colors" (AP).
This is a well-timed move on the company's part, with Halloween just around the corner, and every one from dieticians to mommy bloggers calling for a return to more wholesome goody bag fodder.
Although artificial flavors and colorings are found in just about every type of sweet treat, Necco is making a bold move toward more all-natural ingredients, which is sure to earn them more than a few kudos from people trying to keep toxic additives to a minimum in their children's diets.
Necco, which is short for New England Confectionary Co., produces about 4 billion of the crunchy, malty wafers each year, packaging them in large rolls (36 wafers) and junior rolls (nine wafers).
What will the company use to replace the formerly chemical based flavors and colorings? "Beet juice, purple cabbage, cocoa powder and turmeric — a spice often used in curries — are some of the natural ingredients in the new wafers, which will be phased in at retail stores before and after Halloween" (AP).
In an interesting stroke of coincidence, the only wafer flavor to be lost in the switch to natural ingredients was green.
"Green, one of eight original wafer colors, was too hard to duplicate in the all-natural process. It seems the lime flavor could be reproduced naturally, but the color lacked consistency so it was scrapped" (AP).
If your childhood love affair with candy included a healthy preoccupation with the iconic Necco Wafers, you'll be happy to learn that the "162-year-old Massachusetts company is taking its venerable Necco Wafers all-natural, making them the largest mass-produced candy line in the U.S. to shed artificial flavoring and colors" (AP).
This is a well-timed move on the company's part, with Halloween just around the corner, and every one from dieticians to mommy bloggers calling for a return to more wholesome goody bag fodder.
Although artificial flavors and colorings are found in just about every type of sweet treat, Necco is making a bold move toward more all-natural ingredients, which is sure to earn them more than a few kudos from people trying to keep toxic additives to a minimum in their children's diets.
Necco, which is short for New England Confectionary Co., produces about 4 billion of the crunchy, malty wafers each year, packaging them in large rolls (36 wafers) and junior rolls (nine wafers).
What will the company use to replace the formerly chemical based flavors and colorings? "Beet juice, purple cabbage, cocoa powder and turmeric — a spice often used in curries — are some of the natural ingredients in the new wafers, which will be phased in at retail stores before and after Halloween" (AP).
In an interesting stroke of coincidence, the only wafer flavor to be lost in the switch to natural ingredients was green.
"Green, one of eight original wafer colors, was too hard to duplicate in the all-natural process. It seems the lime flavor could be reproduced naturally, but the color lacked consistency so it was scrapped" (AP).
Read more: children, natural, candy, halloween, SUGER, necco, health policy, necco wafers
comments
Yes, it's hard to believe they were eaten by Civil War soldiers! Compared to other candy I guess they were good in the day but they had little to compare to. My sister once used them in a science experiment, how long do they take to disolve. I trained goldfish in a repeat of Pavlola (sp?) animal behavior experiment, except they don't salivate. I got nothing. She used Neccos and got a 3rd place! I learned a lot about politics that year.
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I hear they used to work in the I-toll ways people would drop them in as coins.
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I never cared for them but was hoping they were at least vegan. *sigh* Guess that is why vegans are so healthy...no candy. It is good to know they are switching to natural ingredients but until they ditch the gelatin not quite 'natural' enough.
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Loved the orange and chocolate flavors. Just might buy a roll now!
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Well good for NECCO in trying to make a statement on health through candy.
The NECCO chips were never a favorite candy of mine, but apparently they are somebodies have they've been around for 162 yrs.
I do appreciate their more au naturale efforts though and most assuredly will introduce their confections sold to my children...
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I used to love Necco wafers, but as a longtime vegetarian I haven't been able to eat them for years because of the gelatin. I wish they'd find a veg. substitute for the gelatin.
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Neccos were always the candies completely dreaded by everyone I knew; only some people from my parents generation actually liked or tolerated them.
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Although I'm vegan, I'm not one to worry about the source of sugar in foods I eat. However, when I buy sugar or I have the option in restaurants, I prefer the natural or turbinado. Anyway, it's the gelatin that makes them unsuitable for vegetarians and vegans, so let's hope they can get rid of that next. Necco candies are one of the few things I miss since going veg.
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I've always loved Neccos, since they've always been pretty pure in comparison to some candies. Glad to see that and hope it spreads to the little valentine candies they also make.
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LOL at what Helen T said.
Well done, Necco. I'm sorry to hear the green ones didn't make the transition , but I suspect you are not entirely done with them yet.
A little more info from the AP: "The company won't say if the move to all-natural might eventually extend to other product lines, including Valentine's Day favorite Sweethearts and Clark bars."
Last, but not least, they are still mostly sugar, so they aren't necessarily vegan.
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