Necco Wafers Scrapping Artificial Additives

Necco Wafers, the 162-year-old Massachusetts-made candy known for their cardboard-like texture, is trading in artificial additives for all-natural ones, making the candy the largest mass-produced candy in the U.S. to become 100 percent natural. Instead of its old colorers and sweeteners, Necco will be using beet juice, purple cabbage, cocoa powder, and turmeric to color its quarter-size candies. The shift to all-natural is “a smart move by Necco,” said Bernard Pacyniak, editor of the trade publication Candy Industry. “It’s taking advantage of consumer needs and demands,” he said. But everything isn’t going to appear exactly the same as before the ingredient shift: Green Necco wafers are being scrapped. “We lost green,” said Jackie Hague, the company’s marketing VP. Apparently, the lime flavor could be reproduced naturally, but not the bright green color.