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Sweets & treats · Product label guide

Candy & gummies: compare ingredients, then choose.

Updated

Compare gummies, chews, and candies by dyes, sweeteners, and sugar content.

The short answer

Our picks for candy & gummies

WinnersYumEarth Halloween Organic Lollipops and YumEarth Organic Sour Littles each score 100/100. They tie, so choose on the exact flavor or format you want.

Runners-upUNREAL Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds – Grab & Go Box (71), UNREAL Halloween Dark Chocolate Coconut Bars (71), and UNREAL Dark Chocolate Coconut Almonds – Grab & Go Box (71).

Clear noMaud Borup Jelly Beans (lists artificial dyes, corn syrups and banned-abroad additives), Skittles Original Gummies (lists seed oils, artificial dyes and corn syrups), Skittles Original Grape, Lemon, Lime, Strawberry, Orange Jelly Beans (lists artificial dyes, corn syrups and banned-abroad additives), plus 47 more with a listed group. We also can’t vouch for the 50 products without a verified current label; treat them as “not yet”.

Ranked from 67 of 117 products with current labels. Every product is in the table below; a score reflects labels and claims, not nutrition, allergies or safety.

Compare the recorded labels

Find the ingredients that matter to you.

117 of 117 products

“No …” columns: None found on the label · Listed on the label · Unknown. Diet fit: Fits · Doesn’t fit · Unknown (rules; not medical advice). Claims: verified · not established. Default: most check marks first; not a health score.

Compare product claims and recorded ingredients. Click a column heading to sort.
Buy
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
92 / 1008 of 9 groups clear · organicProduct details →4
71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimFind where to buy ↗Product details →4
71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimFind where to buy ↗Product details →4
71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimBuy on Amazon ↗Product details →4
71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimFind where to buy ↗Product details →4
71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimFind where to buy ↗Product details →4
71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimFind where to buy ↗Product details →4
71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimProduct details →4
71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimFind where to buy ↗Product details →4
71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimFind where to buy ↗Product details →4
71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimBuy on Amazon ↗Product details →4
71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimBuy on Amazon ↗Product details →4
71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimFind where to buy ↗Product details →4
71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimFind where to buy ↗Product details →4
71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimFind where to buy ↗Product details →4
71 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimFind where to buy ↗Product details →4
63 / 1008 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimProduct details →4
63 / 1008 of 9 groups clear · no organic claimProduct details →3
How the clean score works

No setup needed, and strict: a full 100 needs every additive group clear and a verified organic claim (animal foods also need a verified grass-fed or pasture-raised claim; wild seafood and salt, which have no USDA organic standard, are scored without the organic points, and plant-based milks, cheeses and proteins without the feeding claim). Points: the nine additive groups (seed oils, artificial dyes, MSG, artificial sweeteners, carrageenan, artificial preservatives, hydrogenated oils, corn syrups, banned-abroad additives) share 60 points equally — not found earns a group’s full share, “may contain” earns half, listed earns 0; a verified organic claim is worth 25; a verified grass-fed or pasture-raised claim is worth 15 and counts only for animal foods. No claim, or an expired or unverified claim, earns nothing, so products without those claims cannot reach 100. Unverified or expired ingredient labels receive no score. Equal scores are equal. Ties are ordered by brand. Unknown and stale evidence never passes “Only show matches.” Producer claims and prices do not affect this score. This is not a nutrition, allergy, or safety rating.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Buying links do not influence ingredient results. “Buy on Amazon” opens a reviewed product listing; “Find where to buy” opens the maker’s page. Confirm the package, seller, stock, and current price before checkout. Price observations expire after 30 days.

The full guide · Sweets & treats

Choosing candy & gummies: what to check before you buy

Compare candies within the style you want: gummies, hard candy, chews or a lower-sugar alternative. Check the actual color ingredients and sweeteners, since a front-label fruit description does not describe the full recipe.

Check how many pieces and servings are in the bag, and read the ingredients in fillings or coatings. Gelatin and pectin matter for dietary preferences; milk, nuts and other allergens need their own label check.

What the labels on this shelf show

We track 117 products from 43 brands on the candy & gummies shelf. 67 have a complete, current ingredient label on record (57%), which is what lets us score them. The other 50 stay unscored until the maker publishes a full label; a missing label is “not yet”, never a pass.

Of the 67 scored labels, 17 (25%) list none of the nine additive groups we check. The group that appears most is artificial dyes, listed on 41 labels, followed by corn syrups on 40. 3 scored products carry a verified organic claim, which adds points. Scores here run from 47 to 100, and the typical label lists 10 ingredients.

What to compare

Color ingredients
Read the named colors in the exact flavor.
Sweetener blend
Check sugars, syrups, sugar alcohols and other sweeteners.
Pieces and servings
Allow for serving count when comparing bags.
Dietary needs
Check allergens separately from gelatin, pectin or other dietary-preference ingredients.

The best picks, in detail

These are the highest-scoring candy & gummies products on current labels. Always match the exact flavor and package before you buy.

  1. YumEarth Halloween Organic Lollipops 100/100

    Why it ranks here: no tracked additive group on the label, a verified organic claim. Label: “ORGANIC CANE SUGAR, ORGANIC BROWN RICE SYRUP, CITRIC ACID, ORGANIC NATURAL FLAVORS, ASCORBID ACID, COLORED WITH ORGANIC CONCENTRATE (CARROT, APPLE, BLACKCURRANT, RADISH), ORGANIC TURMERIC EXTRACT (COLOR).”

    Find where to buy ↗Maker’s label source
  2. YumEarth Organic Sour Littles 100/100

    Why it ranks here: no tracked additive group on the label, a verified organic claim. Label: “ORGANIC CANE SUGAR, ORGANIC RICE SYRUP, ORGANIC CORN STARCH, LACTIC ACID, CITRIC ACID, SODIUM CITRATE, NATURAL FLAVORS, COLORED WITH ORGANIC FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONCENTRATES, ORGANIC SPIRULINA (COLOR).”

    Find where to buy ↗Maker’s label source
  3. UNREAL Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds – Grab & Go Box 71/100

    Why it ranks here: no tracked additive group on the label, no verified organic claim. Label: “Almonds, dark chocolate (chocolate liquor, cane sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla).”

    Find where to buy ↗Maker’s label source
  4. UNREAL Halloween Dark Chocolate Coconut Bars 71/100

    Why it ranks here: no tracked additive group on the label, no verified organic claim. Label: “Organic coconut, organic cassava syrup, dark chocolate (chocolate liquor, cane sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla).”

    Buy on Amazon ↗Maker’s label source
  5. UNREAL Dark Chocolate Coconut Almonds – Grab & Go Box 71/100

    Why it ranks here: no tracked additive group on the label, no verified organic claim. Label: “Almonds, dark chocolate (chocolate liquor, cane sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla), organic coconut, organic cane sugar, sea salt.”

    Find where to buy ↗Maker’s label source

What to skip, and why

These scored products list at least one group on their current label. That is the clearest reason to pass if you are avoiding those ingredients.

The 50 products without a verified label are a separate “not yet”: we have no recorded ingredient list to check, so we cannot say they are clean or flagged.

Your preferences, explained

The clean score is strict and needs no setup: nine additive groups not found in a current ingredient statement, plus a verified organic claim (and a grass-fed or pasture-raised claim for animal foods), are needed for 100; a possible match earns half and a missing claim earns nothing. Missing or expired evidence stays unknown. It does not assess nutrition, allergies, contaminants, or safety.

References

  1. FDA to revoke authorization for Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  2. Color additives: questions and answers for consumers U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  3. Food dyes Center for Science in the Public Interest
  4. Aspartame and other sweeteners in food U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  5. Added sugars on the Nutrition Facts label U.S. Food and Drug Administration

An ingredient check is not a nutrition, contaminant, allergy or safety assessment. How we verify labels →