By Blythe Copeland
Great Neck, NY, USA | Tue Oct 21 13:45:00 GMT 2008
Halloween is around the corner and pumpkin orange aisles across the country are brimming with an overwhelming assortment of candy—from melt-in-your mouth chocolate to flavor-packed suckers to tongue-shocking sours. How can you keep yourself—and visiting ghosts and ghouls—on an eco-friendly sugar high? Look out for naturally flavored and colored treats made from organic ingredients. Pass up the artificial sweeteners in favor of concentrated juices or pure cane sugar, and buy from companies that support ecological foundations—when the kids start comparing their loot, your handouts will standout in more ways than one.
For more ways to green your Halloween, check out:
How to Go Green: Halloween
Buy Green: Halloween Candy
How to Throw a Spooky Eco-Fab Halloween Party
How to Put Your Face On A Jack-O-Lantern
Decorate with Nature, and More Eco Friendly Halloween Tips
Do it Yourself Halloween Cobweb From Cotton Balls
4 Easy Eco Friendly Halloween Tips
Make Your Own Broadway-Inspired Wicked Halloween Costume
Make Your Own Cheaper, Better Halloween...Mask
Make Your Own Cheaper, Better Halloween...Witch Costume
Make Your Own Cheaper, Better Halloween Costume
Make a Halloween Costume You Can't Find at Wal-mart
DIY Halloween Crafts from Maura Madden's Crafternoon
Also be sure to check out more hair-raising Halloween how-to's on How Stuff Works.
Why We Like It: All-natural Organic Lollipops from YummyEarth put the average-Joe sucker to shame. Packs come in classic flavors like Tooberry Blueberry and Googly Grape, as well as the more daring Pomegranate Pucker and Chili Lime Lambada—all without gluten, nuts, or corn syrup.
Eco Factor: Fruits and vegetables that replace chemical dyes used for flavor and color—from black carrots to evaporated cane juice—are organically grown, and bulk-purchase options help cut down on packaging.
Where: YummyEarth
How Much: $3.50 for a pack of 12
Think of it as: The standard lolly, except the best you've ever tasted.
Why We Like It: Um, it's chocolate—need we say more? Okay: Endangered Species Chocolate's Chocolate Halloween Treats are made of sustainably-grown and 100% ethically traded dark or milk chocolate, unbleached beet sugar (for sweetening), and only all-natural ingredients.
Eco Factor: The company donates 10% of net proceeds to charity partners that support the environment and wrappers highlight endangered plants and animals.
Where: Endangered Species Chocolate
How Much: About $7 for a bag of 24 squares, each .35-ounces.
Think of it as: A Hershey's bar with a conscience.
Why We Like It: Very few food duos beat the magic that happens when you mix up chocolate and peanut butter: Trans fat-free Betty Lou's Organic Golden Smackers are another knockout.
Eco Factor: With organic chocolate (dark or milk), peanut butter, agave syrup, oats, and brown rice, these patties almost qualify as health food. At least, that's what you can say to yourself after eating half the bag in one sitting.
Where: Betty Lou's
How Much: $31 for a box of 24
Think of it as: A Reese's Peanut Butter Cup—except that the peanut butter is the real deal.
Why We Like It: We love Jelly Belly's vast range of oh-so-real flavors. Turns out the company also has a Natural Colors and Flavors line, where the fruity beans have the same lip-smacking taste in peach, lemon, plum, coconut, cherry, and more.
Eco Factor: Instead of chemicals, preservatives, artificial flavors and colors, these all-natural treats contain banana puree, coconut flakes, and concentrated juices.
Where: Jelly Belly
How Much: $3.60 for a six-ounce bag of 10 assorted flavors
Think of it as: The original Jelly Belly (only better).
Why We Like It: Glee Gum uses only pure cane sugar, natural colors, and natural flavors to make its taste bud-seducing chewing gum. Each cinnamon, peppermint, tangerine, bubblegum, spearmint, and triple berry-flavored wedge is a clear winner against rivals that use artificial sweeteners and dyes.
Eco Factor: Glee gets its chewiness from chicle sap from the rainforest-grown Sapodilla tree—instead of the synthetic ingredients that give most other gums their pop. Chicle harvesting is also a non-invasive way for rainforest communities in Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala to support their local economies.
Where: Glee Gum
How Much: $6 for 21 boxes or $20 for 80 boxes (four pieces per box)
Think of it as: Bubble Yum that saves trees.
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