Candy corn certainly seems to be the most divisive Halloween candy of all – you either love it, eating it by the handful every October, or you hate it more than anything on the planet. There is no in-between on this one.
Candy corn lovers are staunch defenders of the candy, steadfast in their undying support for this colorful but maligned candy, so much so that I don’t even think learning the ingredients will change one’s mind.
But let’s see – if you knew candy corn was made of animal bones and bug secretions, would that change anything for you?
Yeah, me neither; I’ll defend the honor of candy corn for all eternity (I assume this battle continues into the afterlife).
So Wait, How Is Candy Corn Made of Bug Secretions and Animal Bones?
Oh yeah, that. Well, it’s all pretty simple, and there’s a good chance you’ve been consuming these grotesqueries all your life without knowing it anyway, so why stop now?
First up is gelatin. It’s an incredibly common ingredient, found in soups and broths, sauces, candy, marshmallows, puddings and gelatin treats (like Jell-O), cosmetics, medications and more. What you probably never considered is what gelatin is actually made of, which is decaying animal hides, boiled crushed bones, and the connective tissues of cattle and pigs. Yum!
And if that isn’t enough for you, how do you think candy corn gets that delicious waxy texture? That’s confectioner’s glaze, which sounds innocent enough, until you realize it’s also known as “shellac,” which is made from lac-resin, which is straight-up just a bug secretion. That’s right – the lac bug is a parasite that secretes a waxy, waterproof coating to protect itself in the tropical and subtropical regions in which it resides.
Those secretions are collected off plants for use in candy, paints, cosmetics, and a ton of other common products, but occasionally, bits and pieces of the bugs themselves are gathered up as well. So yes, you’re not only consuming a bug’s secretions, but you might just be lucky enough to be eating bits of the bug itself in your candy corn. But hey, at least you now know this is where words like “shellac” and “lacquer” come from, if that helps at all.
Candy Corn Bug Secretions Are Real and It Changes Nothing for Me
But even knowing this information, nothing is going to stop me from crusading in the name of candy corn. I’ve come to the realization that everything we eat is disgusting and tainted in one way or another, so it might as well be delicious. I’m brave enough to admit that candy corn is an elite-tier Halloween candy, and I’m ready to defend myself on this hill from any and all detractors.
