British Sweets vs American Candy - Who comes out on top in the battle of the treats?

February 19, 2021

Over the past few years, there has been a growing trend for American goodies here in the UK. In fact, some supermarkets even have their own aisle dedicated to food stuffs from across the pond. I mean even we're stocking an abundance of American Sweets!

Candy is big business in the USA. The confectionary industry in the US contributes a whopping $44 billion dollars to the country's economy every year(by comparison, the UK's chocolate and sweet industry is worth just over £1 billion!). Sweet treats are a way of life in the US with 79% of Americans saying chocolate and candy are an important part of their emotional wellbeing, so its unsurprising that the country offers an incredible selection to choose from.

Some of the UK's favourite brands of sweets actually have their origins in the USA....

M&Ms were inspired by British 'Smarties' back in the 1940s, and were first launched to market almost 80 years ago. Initially manufactured in the Mars factory in New Jersey in 1941, today these colourful chocolates have been sold in over 100 countries across the globe.

Whilst fruity favourite Jelly Belly, first became available to American sweet lovers way back in the 1960s. These famous jelly beans are available in over 50 different flavours.

And the 1980s saw the introduction of Nerds - the tiny cany spheres which pack a sour punch and were incredibly popular with kids throughout the decade and beyond.

But there's an abundance of candy and chocolate which hasn't made its way to British shores and can only be purchased in the USA, or at specialist American candy retailers.

In this blog post, we'll take a look at some of the most popular American confectionary and see how it compares to its British equivalent!

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

According to a poll by USA today, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are American's favourite candy and are the number one selling confectionary in the country. These circular, chocolatey bites have been available for almost 100 years, and are named after their dairy farmer inventor, H B Reese. The chocolates come in a multitude of different sizes and varieties, but the original peanut flavour is famed for its smooth chocolate shell and classic peanut butter flavour. There's no mistaking this famous American flavour!

Reeses

Twizzlers

Another favourite from across the pond are Twizzlers (and we're not talking about the Bernard Matthews type!). These long, chewy sweets are most commonly found in strawberry flavour, however they're also available in orange, lemon and caramel. Think of these as the US equivalent of strawberry shoelaces, but extra juicy!

Hershey’s Kisses

These little drops of chocolate are one of America's favourite chocolatey treats. These bite sized candies are individually wrapped and have a little paper plume coming out the top which features a message. Super cute! And with 14 flavours to choose from, including classic milk chocolate, cherry cordial and even candy cane, there is a kiss for everyone.

Tootsie Rolls

These cylindrical treats have a vintage feel about them and have been manufactured in the US since 1907. These chocolate, caramel like treats have a distinct flavour and texture. A little bit like a Cadbury's Eclaire, Tootsie Rolls apparently contain a little bit of the day before's batch in every roll.

Check out our American themed sweet hampers here!