# Does Candy Go Bad? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 3, 2011, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-candy-go-bad/601751 "2011-11-03T15:50:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-candy-go-bad/601751/21 "2011-11-04T01:28:47Z")
> [@Jbone](#): > > … I’m not sure what to think about taffy… Evaporation… the taffy will dry out and become hard and unworkable. It’s horrible. ps- Here’s a Bonus tune: [I Want Candy (Good Charlotte, youtube)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CirN2bd40Zc) ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-candy-go-bad/601751/22 "2011-11-04T01:40:51Z")
> [@Bytegeist](#): > > Not exclusively — although “candy bar” is synonymous with “chocolate bar”. Almost, but not quite. The top selling candy bars all contain chocolate, but there are a few non-chocolate candy bars-- PayDay and other peanut nougat logs, Snickers Munch and other peanut bars, Zero, Zagnut, Abba Zabba and Big Hunk (for those lucky enough to get Annabelle brands), Hershey Cookies & Creme, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-candy-go-bad/601751/23 "2011-11-04T02:51:16Z")
When I served in Vietnam, we were often sent chocolate candy by stateside relatives. The jungle environment caused much to have a white coating by the time we received it. We were told it was harmless, and we ate it all without suffering any ill effects that I know of, but the chocolate sold on base or locally was formulated for tropical environments and didn’t have that problem. Now other candies often absorb moisture, even if wrapped. No harm is done AFAIK except it makes it hard to unwrap sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-candy-go-bad/601751/24 "2011-11-04T03:15:08Z")
There’s nothing magical about cocoa butter. Cocoa butter and other hard fats seldom turn rancid because they’re saturated; it’s unsaturated fats that have this weakness, as the double bond in such fats is subject to oxidative attack, producing short-chained aldehydes and ketones, which smell bad and taste worse. The increasing use of hydrogenated vegetable oil in milk chocolate has led to a decrease in shelf life (and frankly, it’s not so great when it’s fresh). I assume the milk solids in milk chocolate also have some longevity issues, but I haven’t really looked at that. The white “bloom” on chocolate that been exposed to heat is, as others have said, just migration of the fat to the surface, and indicates neither rancidity nor any other spoilage (though exposure to heat may also cause these problems). ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-candy-go-bad/601751/25 "2011-11-04T17:48:35Z")
My question would be, if you’ve grown up accustomed to Hershey’s, would you even be able to tell if a chocolate bar had gone rancid? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-candy-go-bad/601751/26 "2011-11-04T17:54:51Z")
True dat. Hershey’s is nasty. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-candy-go-bad/601751/27 "2011-11-04T18:06:10Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > My question would be, if you’ve grown up accustomed to Hershey’s, would you even be able to tell if a chocolate bar had gone rancid? 😛 You got us, Mr. British person. You got us. _Zing!_ Just to dump on Hershey a bit myself, many of their products lack cocoa butter and so presumably wouldn’t bloom as they age, like proper chocolate does. (They might deteriorate in other visible ways though.) On the other hand, Hershey isn’t the only brand of chocolate available here, you know. Nor is it the only US chocolate company. So there. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-candy-go-bad/601751/28 "2011-11-04T21:12:53Z")
> [@Nametag](#): > > The white “bloom” on chocolate that been exposed to heat is, as others have said, just migration of the fat to the surface, and indicates neither rancidity nor any other spoilage(though exposure to heat may also cause these problems). Yes, if let in a hot environment, chocolate will begin to melt during the hot day, hardens again when the temperature gets lower,etc..After some days, it will have turned “white”. Probably what happened to the chocolate sent to Vietnam mentioned above. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-candy-go-bad/601751/29 "2011-11-04T21:36:25Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > My question would be, if you’ve grown up accustomed to Hershey’s, would you even be able to tell if a chocolate bar had gone rancid? 😛 I know you’re just playing, but there is a lot worse chocolate that Hershey’s. I’d consider Hershey’s the middle class of chocolates that I’ve tasted. ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-candy-go-bad/601751/30 "2011-11-05T00:20:08Z")
> [@Bytegeist](#): > > Just to dump on Hershey a bit myself, many of their products lack cocoa butter and so presumably wouldn’t bloom as they age, like proper chocolate does. (They might deteriorate in other visible ways though.) Well, since bloom is just fat separating, like cream rising to the top of your milk, I’d imagine that chocolate will show bloom even is some other fat was used in it. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-candy-go-bad/601751/31 "2011-11-05T01:11:02Z")
I dug into a bag of Reese’s cups that had been sitting in my pantry since last Xmas. After downing a half dozen or so, I stopped when I found out that I was not alone in enjoying them, that I had been sharing my meal with some moth larvae. If not for that, I probably would have finished the bag. Ironically, they were probably the most nutritious thing in the bag. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-candy-go-bad/601751/32 "2011-11-05T01:12:36Z")
> [@SCSimmons](#): > > Well, since bloom is just fat separating, like cream rising to the top of your milk, I’d imagine that chocolate will show bloom even is some other fat was used in it. Indeed. The chocolates that don’t bloom, the ones that are formulated for hot weather (as noted above), incorporate harder fats (like carnauba wax, maybe?) or paraffin wax. Hydrogenated vegetable oil or other cocoa butter substitutes will migrate in hot weather, although the result may not look exactly like the cocoa butter bloom. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-candy-go-bad/601751/33 "2011-11-05T01:23:32Z")
My mom buys all of her candy canes right after Christmas when they go on sale, and then lets them age for at least a year before eating them, because she prefers them that way. There are probably some candy canes around her house that are five or more years old. They’re _different_ than fresh ones, certainly, and you might prefer them fresh, but they’re not harmful. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-candy-go-bad/601751/34 "2011-11-05T02:22:56Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I know you’re just playing, but there is a lot worse chocolate that Hershey’s. I’d consider Hershey’s the middle class of chocolates that I’ve tasted. There aren’t many chocolates that have the distinctive spoiled flavor of Hershey. ---
**Author:** ![morgansher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/858c86/32.png) [@morgansher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/morgansher)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2015, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-candy-go-bad/601751/35 "2015-06-08T23:18:59Z")
> [@Bytegeist](#): > > You can wash it down with a swig of _vanilla extract_, for another cruel surprise. > > I speak from experience. Many long years ago, on my first ever trip, I thought a dollop of butter at Village Inn was ice cream for my blueberry waffle. I was 8. Every adult at the table howled with laughter. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2015, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-candy-go-bad/601751/36 "2015-06-08T23:24:49Z")
> [@Student\_Driver](#): > > Almost, but not quite. The top selling candy bars all contain chocolate, but there are a few non-chocolate candy bars-- PayDay and other peanut nougat logs, Snickers Munch and other peanut bars, Zero, Zagnut, Abba Zabba and Big Hunk (for those lucky enough to get Annabelle brands), Hershey Cookies & Creme, etc. Don’t forget Air Heads! ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-candy-go-bad/601751/37 "2015-06-09T02:00:49Z")
And Bonomo’s Turkish Taffy! (yes, it’s back! Just like 1960!) Licorice and the various red things (by American Licorice - good stuff) Twizzlers (which look and feel like vinyl - I am not sticking that in my mouth) ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-candy-go-bad/601751/38 "2015-06-09T02:07:52Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > True dat. Hershey’s is nasty. Watch out I’ve been called a snob here for saying Hershey’s sucks compared to most of the popular EU brands. But god it does. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-candy-go-bad/601751/39 "2015-06-09T02:44:16Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Watch out I’ve been called a snob here for saying Hershey’s sucks compared to most of the popular EU brands. > > But god it does. I’ll throw caution to the winds and repeat my sentiment. Hershey’s is, hands down, the _worst_ commonly available chocolate. The … fucking … worst. ---
**Author:** ![sweepkick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@sweepkick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweepkick)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-candy-go-bad/601751/40 "2015-06-09T03:46:44Z")
Seriously. Hershey can go eat a dick. > **[STFU Hershey's: Why The Cadbury Import Ban Sucks So Hard](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/stfu-hersheys-why-the-cad_b_6538052)** > > Hershey's already owns the shelves of every grocery and convenience store in the country. Why go the extra mile to strangle the market share of small, specialty businesses that sell British imports? How much of a ding can that really put in their... Assholes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-candy-go-bad/601751.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-candy-go-bad/601751.md?page=3)