The Sweet Showdown Between Gummies and Chocolate

The question of what candy is best is old and worn. Today, we’re beating a dead horse and arguing for the two major categories: chocolate versus gummies.

Chocolate Is Better, Actually

By Aster Rapkoch

Halloween has produced some of my most cherished memories. Although the cold nights trick-or-treating quickly turned miserable, one thing kept me plodding through the pre-winter sleet in my gaudy, wet costume each year: chocolate.

Created by grinding roasted cocoa beans and mixing them with cocoa butter, sugar, milk and vanilla, chocolate is the ultimate treat. While other sweets like candy corn are enjoyed seasonally, chocolate is a perennial indulgence. With chocolate beating gummies 11-6 in a recent Exponent tabling poll, it’s safe to say that MSU is a pro-chocolate university.

If you walked into my dorm room after dinner, you would most likely see me with some form of chocolate in my hand. A few pieces are just what I need to finish off the day. You know I’ll be hitting Walmart or Target for a big bag of mini candy bars. Pro tip: shop for your stash the day after Halloween — it will be on sale.

Think back to Halloween nights spent trick-or-treating with friends. I’m guessing that the vast majority of old ladies gave you some form of chocolate. Snickers, Twix, KitKats — I can not even name them all. Now picture trading these candies with your friends after you’ve finished trick-or-treating. Varieties of candy bars fly back and forth between sticky hands, but what’s highest in demand in this late-night laissez-faire trading? Chocolate, and for good reason.

Serena Whitcome, MSU’s business operations manager for Human Resources, prefers chocolate for both the taste and familiar ingredients.

“[In gummies] you get some weird [ingredients]. I’m like what is this coming from, where is it sourced? Is it a plant? Is it an animal? For chocolate I usually understand the ingredients better,” she said. Whitcome’s favorite chocolate candy is the peanut butter cup.

The scariest thing about Halloween shouldn’t be the haunted houses or the horror movies that you watch late into the night. The real fright is falling short on your yearly chocolate quota.

Gummies All The Way

By Eliana Pimentel

I’m sure you remember Halloween evenings with your friends, cozied up in the living room, swapping candy to stockpile the best kind — gummy candy.

Gummies come in various shapes, sizes and flavors. The most popular of these are gummy bears, Sour Patch Kids and peach or watermelon rings. The list could go on forever. Gummy candy offers a lot more versatility compared to chocolate.

Lilly Feist, an art education major, said she prefers gummy candy to chocolate.

“I like gummy candy better because chocolate hurts my teeth, and my teeth are too sensitive for that,” she said. “I can just put [gummies] in my mouth and chew on it for a long time.”

Feist’s favorite gummy candy is peach rings, though recently she’s been enjoying the bat-shaped sour candies her mom sends her.

Gummy candy is a less decadent, more casual treat than chocolate. You can eat a couple of gummy bears or Sour Patch Kids on the go, without having to worry about them melting all over your hands or bag.

Although ingredients in gummy candy may be a concern for some, there are plenty of alternatives. Brands like Yum Earth offer a diverse selection of gummy and sour candies that are both dye-free and allergen-friendly. You won’t have to go to a health food store to hunt these down, either — even mainstream stores like Target offer these brands.

So, this Halloween, don’t feel overwhelmed by all of the chocolate options — just make the rational choice.