Is Organic Candy an Oxymoron?
September 21, 2008 by boygreen · 1 Comment
A friend of mine recently ordered a bunch of organic candy to give out to the kids this Halloween. She’s really concerned about watching what she gives her kids, not wanting them to eat junk food and chemicals, and she’s always toting around a huge bag of organic snacks, just in case. This got me thinking about the idea of organic candy - can candy be healthy? So I did a little research.
The idea behind organic candy isn’t that being organic makes it “sugar-free” or even healthy. Most candy is filled with artificial flavors, artificial colors (ie: Red#…) preservatives, and other random chemicals with unpronounceable names. In addition, the ingredients used may contain pesticides. All natural candy, or organic candy, is simply that - all natural. No artificial anything. An organic label, specifically USDA Organic Certified, ensures the ingredients used don’t contain pesticide residue and aren’t processed with any chemicals or non-natural ingredients. Organic candy probably still has sugar in it, but it’s likely organic sugar, and you probably won’t find any high-fructose corn syrup on the ingredient list.
So is it an oxymoron? In my opinion, no. Candy can be chemical free. So, if you’re going to eat candy, go for the most natural, chemical-free version you can find. Look for the “Certified Organic” label, or check the ingredients to see what you’re getting before you put that candy bar in your cart.
I avoid artificial chemicals and try to go organic whenever possible, so I think I’ll give it a try. I placed an order for some organic lollipops and other goodies on SugarCoatedOrganics.com and I’ll post a taste-test review as soon as they arrive.