These Popular Candy Bars Were Recalled for Possible Life-Threatening Contamination

It's that time of year again — the time to dress up as your favorite Halloween character and trick-or-treat with your kids. Like with any holiday, certain candies and treats define Halloween. Recalled candy, however, may not have been part of your plan this year. Right before Halloween, Zingerman's Candy Manufactory issued a recall on two of its candy bars due to undeclared peanuts and cashews.

These candy bars were distributed to stores in Michigan and New York. If you've purchased Peanut Butter Crush or Ca$hew Cow chocolate bars and have a nut allergy, check the candy you have.

In addition to candy recalls, parents might also be concerned about the unhealthiest types of candy. While there's nothing wrong with eating candy in moderation, parents don't want their little ones consuming candy that could leave them with a sugar high and rotten teeth. Conversely, what are the healthiest candies to eat?

In this guide, we'll discuss what you need to know about the recent recall and about the unhealthiest candies you should consider dumping before your kids eat them.

This post was updated in October 2025 to include relevant information about recalled candy.

On October 24, 2025, Zingerman's Candy Manufactory announced a recall of its Peanut Butter Crush Full Size Bars (Lot #174250) due to undeclared cashews and Ca$hew Cow Full Size Bars (Lot #174250) due to undeclared peanuts.

Although no illnesses have been reported to the FDA, the candy bars were recalled because Peanut Butter Crush bars may contain undeclared cashews, and Ca$hew Cow bars may contain undeclared peanuts. These ingredients could be life-threatening to anyone with an allergy.

If you discover you've purchased either of these bars and you do have an allergy, dispose of the candy or return it to the store for a full refund.

Children should avoid many unhealthy candies due to the high sugar content and the damage it can cause to their teeth. Looking at these candies can give you a better idea of what to take out of their bag before they consume it.

While no particular candy is healthy for you, certain candies are worse than others.

Candy corn consistently tops lists of the most hated candies. For good reason: it's often a candy that people dislike due to its unique maple flavor.

It's also one of the worst candies for you because it's filled with corn syrup. There are 31 grams of sugar and 150 calories. While eating them in moderation is fine, it's fine to dump them out if you're trying to keep only the healthier candy.

Smarties are chock-full of sugar. They also taste like sweet chalk. While they seem small and harmless, they are one of the worst candies because you get zero nutritional value from them. Even though they have few calories or fat, they are still high in sugar.

Almond Joys might be hard to pass up if you love coconut with chocolate. This classic candy is also one of the worst for your teeth and overall health, let alone terrible for kids.

It's filled with high-fat and sugar content that will leave you in a daze after you eat it. It specifically has 16 grams of fat and 9 grams of sugar.

Peanut M&Ms are the perfect snack for movies. They are also one of the most classic Halloween candies. They are delicious peanuts covered with milk chocolate.

No matter how tasty they are, they are also one of the worst candies because of their high fat and sugar content. One of the main reasons they are unhealthy is that they have chemical-filled shells that aren't the greatest for you or your kids. It has 180 calories, 18 grams of sugar, and 10 grams of total fat.

It's hard to deny the deliciousness of eating a Reese's peanut butter cup. They melt in your mouth as soon as you eat them.

They are also among the worst because they have about 220 calories, 22 grams of sugar, and 13 grams of total fat. In some instances, the Halloween edition of these candies is often worse than the original versions.

There's nothing like a crunchy Twix bar with caramel and chocolate. They also have a tremendous amount of fat, making them one of the worst candies for your kids.

The Fun Size Twix Bars are even worse because they are much larger with more fat content.

Another unhealthy Halloween candy you should avoid is gummy bears. While kids love these candies, they also have 100 calories for 13 pieces. They also contain 13 grams of sugar.

One of the worst things about gummy bears is that they are notorious for getting stuck in your teeth. If your kids have cavities, you may find that these candies can disturb the cavity and leave your kids in a lot of pain on Halloween night.

While not an incredibly common candy bar that is usually found in your kids' candy pails after trick-or-treating, it still gets in there from time to time. These little puffed-rice-filled treats are filled with artificial ingredients and are high in calories.

While raisins are typically a healthy and delicious treat, Raisinets are incredibly high in sugar and saturated fat. To top it off, they actually contain very little real fruit. Moderation, of course, is key, but if you're looking to limit your child's candy intake, you can feel good about tossing these.

Say it isn't so! Skittles are an incredibly popular candy among trick-or-treaters and candy-lovers in general. But Skittles is a candy that has been deemed one of the unhealthiest candies out there. Filled with sugar and artificial flavorings, these little candies are as unhealthy as they get.

The most obvious reasons to avoid these candies are their high fat and sugar content. They have candy that can destroy your health, especially your kids' teeth. It can also elevate your kid's blood sugar and give them a sugar high.

Consider dark chocolate candies if you're wondering what candy to stick with. Dark chocolate is known to have ingredients that are healthier for you. Dark chocolate has flavanols that help lower your risk of diseases. Overall, choosing less sugary and high-fat content candies can be better for your kid's health.