On My Plate: Halloween 2026
This column is normally devoted to healthy locally grown and produced food. Halloween is an exception.
Identifying the most popular trick-or-treat candy seemed to be a straightforward internet inquiry. However, preferences vary widely among the 50 states, and sources disagree on the rankings.
Furthermore, internet sites discussing the popularity of different candies contain language nearly as inflammatory as current political ads. For example, CandyStore.com writes: “it’s been a rough year for Reese’s” and “candy corn may have the most complicated relationship with America.” Who knew that the most complicated relationship with America was held by candy corn, rather than a politician?
The Indiana border may lie less than two miles west of Oxford, but candy preferences apparently change across the state line. Ohio is the only state where the most popular trick-or-treat candy is Blow Pops, according to CandyStore.com. Older readers may remember a candy called Charms, which was founded in 1912 and sold in 1988 to Tootsie Roll Industries, which then introduced Blow Pops.
Across the state line in Indiana, the most popular for trick-or-treat is Nerds Gummy Clusters, which have developed “a cult following” according to The New York Times.
The Times interviewed Anna Walsh Olsen, head of research and development at Ferrara Candy Company, who explained “in 2018, a group of scientists developed a plan to make Nerds relevant again. . . . What is the right amount of chewiness, crunchiness and flavor delivery that is really optimal for consumers, the scientists wondered.” As the only state where Nerds rank number one, Indiana’s trick-or-treaters find themselves in the unusual position of standing at the start of a cult.
Instacart begs to differ with the CandyStore.com rankings. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups is the most popular trick-or-treat candy in Ohio, Indiana and five other states, according to Instacart.. Google claims that Mars bars are most popular in Ohio and M&M’s in Indiana.
A national survey of several thousand trick-or-treaters by CandyStore.com found that M&M’s and Sour Patch Kids would be the most popular candy this year in ten states each. Instacart finds that Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups is the most popular in seven states, followed by Sour Patch Kids as the most popular in six states.
An unscientific sampling of under 10-year-olds in my neighborhood found KitKat and Skittles to be their hoped-for preferences. No Blow Pops, M&M’s or Reese’s for our offerings this year.
CandyStore.com also provides a list of the ten worst Halloween candies, again based on surveys of several thousand respondents. The most disliked is candy corn. However, survey respondents also ranked candy corn as one of the most liked Halloween candies. Candy corn was loved for its nostalgia (“it looks the same as it did when your grandparents were kids,” said one respondent) and hated for its artificial taste.
During the 2020 pandemic lockdown, our neighbors gathered in the street so trick-or-treaters didn’t have to come to our front doors. It was a rare opportunity to socialize that sad year. We adults enjoyed that gathering so much that we repeat it every Halloween. The Pace household sets the neighborhood pace by grilling hot dogs for neighbors and trick-or-treaters. The Hensley household and their immediate neighbors invite the rest of us to a street party when trick-or-treat ends. Driving in our neighborhood on Halloween night is definitely not recommended.
James Rubenstein is president of the Board of Directors for the Oxford Free Press and professor emeritus of geography at Miami University.
