National Candy Corn Day is observed annually on October 30th.
Candy Corn was created by George Renninger of Wunderle Candy Company in the late 1800s. He created this sweet treat to represent the bright colors of corn kernels. Originally, Candy Corn was yellow, orange and white, but it has become popular in other colors as well.
This confection was originally made by hand using corn syrup, sugar, water, marshmallows, fondant and carnauba wax (a wax made from the leaves of a palm tree), but it is now produced using machines. The original ingredients are still used in the recipe.
- One serving of candy corn contains only about 140 calories.
- Candy corn has 3.57 calories per kernel.
- More than 35 million pounds of candy corn will be produced this year. That equates to nearly 9 billion pieces — enough to circle the moon nearly four times if laid end-to-end
- Halloween accounts for 75% of the annual candy corn production.
- A cup of candy corn has fewer calories than a cup of raisins.
- Originally, each tiny candy corn kernel was made by hand.
- Candy Corn once had the name “Chicken Feed” because of its similarity to real corn.
- The National Confectioner’s Association estimates that close to 20 million pounds of candy corn are sold each year.
- It is believed that this day was chosen due to the fact that sales of the candy are typically the highest on the 30th.
- Once opened, a bag of candy corn will be safe to eat for up to 6 weeks. Unopened, it’s good for up to 9 months.
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