Halloween Foods That Divide Americans Every Single Year
Some Halloween treats get a smile when they land in the bag. Others get a groan, a swap, or a quiet trip to the trash. A few manage to do both at once, depending on who’s holding the bowl.
Surveys and reader polls keep turning up the same handful of foods that split opinion down the middle. Here are the ones that cause the most arguments.
Candy Corn
No Halloween food is more argued over. Today called it the most polarizing candy of all, comparing it to the fruitcake of Halloween, and yet it remains one of the season’s best-sellers.
In YouGov’s head-to-head matchups, candy corn won about 40 percent of its face-offs among both adults and children.
Reader polls tell a similar story. In one Patch poll, candy corn landed near the bottom of the favorites list at just 5.1 percent, though its defenders called it a celebration of fall and tradition.
Black Licorice
Black licorice splits opinion more sharply than almost anything else. In the same YouGov matchups, it won only about 25 percent of face-offs among adults and 16 percent among children, among the lowest scores of any treat.
The flavor is the problem for many people, since anise has a strong, medicinal edge.
Consumer Reports staffers ranked Good & Plenty near the top of their worst list, with one saying it tastes like medication. Fans, however, say nothing else comes close.
Almond Joy
Almond Joy is a fascinating case because the same candy shows up on both the best and worst lists. Consumer Reports staffers tied it for third place among the worst Halloween candies, with 16 percent of votes, mostly over the coconut.
Yet YouGov found adults rank it among their favorite chocolate picks.
The split makes sense, since coconut tends to be a love-it-or-hate-it ingredient. For some people the coconut-almond-chocolate combination is the whole appeal, and for others it’s a dealbreaker.
Mary Janes
Mary Janes, the peanut butter and molasses taffy, topped a Today reader poll as the most disliked Halloween candy. It edged out candy corn, which is a notable result for a treat that few outside the candy’s fans talk about.
That poll was informal, so it shouldn’t be treated as a national survey.
Its flavor is distinctive, with peanut butter and molasses in a chewy taffy. People who grew up with it tend to speak up for it, while others find it an odd mix.
Raisins and Other Healthy Handouts
Few things disappoint a trick-or-treater like a handful of raisins. Today readers listed fruit, raisins, and even toothbrushes among the least welcome items to land in a bag.
A healthier option can seem like a sensible compromise to the person handing it out.
That gap between giver and receiver is the heart of the divide. What feels thoughtful from the doorstep can feel like a letdown from inside a costume.
Salty Snacks Instead of Candy
Some readers in a Patch poll suggested skipping candy altogether and handing out quarters, chips, pretzels, or bottled water with Halloween stickers. Others pushed back hard on the idea.
One respondent even called oatmeal packets the most un-Halloween treat ever.
Salty snacks sit in an interesting middle ground. They skip the sugar, but they don’t carry the same festive appeal, so reactions vary house by house.
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