Nationwide food consumption data from What We Eat in America (WWEIA), the dietary recall component of NHANES 2007–2008 and 2009–2010, were used to estimate proportions of the US population reporting intake of candy, average intakes of candy, and per capita contributions of candy to intakes of energy, total fat, saturated fat, and sugars (total and added) (11–14). Candy containing chocolate and candy not containing chocolate (excluding chewing gum) were identified by using the corresponding WWEIA categories (15). Estimates were based on consumption of candy reported on the first day of the NHANES dietary recall and were generated for the population of all Americans aged ≥2 y, 2–18 y, and ≥19 y.
Results show that 26% of Americans aged ≥2 y consumed candy on a given day; among youth aged 2–18 y, 31% reported consuming candy on a given day (Table 1). On a day of candy consumption, candy consumers reported eating, on average, ∼40 g of candy (176 kcal) (data not shown). Per capita candy intake, which includes both candy consumers and nonconsumers, represents typical candy intake on a given day across the total population. Per capita candy intake of all Americans was 10 g/d (Table 1), which is not significantly different from the per capita intake of 10.3 g/d in WWEIA, NHANES 2003–2006, indicating that candy intake has remained stable. On the basis of the most recent data, per capita contributions of candy to total energy intakes represented 2.2% of total calories, or 45.2 kcal, for the US population aged ≥2 y (Table 2). Candy contributed 2.1% (1.6 g) and 3.2% (0.8 g) to total fat and saturated fat intakes, respectively; 4.7% (5.7 g) to total sugars intake; and 6.4% (5 g) to added sugars intake.