Scary amount of candy will be consumed on Halloween

About 4% of all candy consumed in this country occurs on that one day, says Harry Balzer, the chief industry analyst for the NPD Group, which does market research on eating trends. Almost every child in the USA will have candy on Halloween, and about half of the adults will eat some, he says. That compares to 24% of all adults and kids who have candy on a typical day, he says. Adults prefer chocolate candy over anything else. Kids eat four hard and chewy candies for every one eaten by adults, Balzer says. Another finding: On a typical day, 10% of adults and kids have a cookie, but on Halloween 14% have one, he says. So how can you enjoy Halloween candy for a few days without being haunted by it — or extra pounds — for months to come? Many fun-sized candy bars pack 60 to 100 calories each, so having several a day for weeks can add up to weight gain or derail weight loss.