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Miami Herald
19-05-2025
- Health
- Miami Herald
Dum Dums lollipops stands by bright dyes, despite RFK Jr.'s push
The U.S. government is pushing food companies to switch their bright synthetic dyes to natural colors - but the maker of Dum Dums lollipops and Sweethearts candy hearts is in no rush. Kirk Vashaw, chief executive officer of Spangler Candy Company, said a key problem with changing ingredients is taste. Take beet juice: "That's a nice red, but it tastes like beets," he said. Then there's carmine, which makes some consumers queasy because the reddish pigment comes from cochineal insects. "People said, 'I'd rather get cancer than eat the bug,' " Vashaw said, referring to an instance when his company used the coloring. Spangler, which employs about 550 workers in Bryan, Ohio, also makes Bit-O-Honey candy, Necco Wafers and Circus Peanuts. The 119-year-old company already uses some natural colors and is testing other natural dyes. But a number of its confections include artificial colors such as Yellow 5 and Red 40. Spangler pulls in an estimated $200 million in annual retail sales, and it produces roughly 12 million Dum Dums a day. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said last month that it will work with the packaged-food industry to phase out artificial dyes by early 2027. Kennedy and other officials have linked the ingredients to diseases such as obesity and diabetes while calling for "real and transformative change" to get "the worst ingredients out of food." Health advocates have said for years that synthetic colors add no taste or nutritional value but make unhealthy foods more visually appealing. Red No. 3, which has been linked to cancer and is used in products such as candy and cold medicine, will be banned in the U.S. starting in early 2027. Spangler doesn't use the ingredient. Food-industry lobbyists have said that there's no official agreement in place with the government, at least for now. The industry says artificial food dyes are safe, and Vashaw's comments underscore how some companies aren't on board with Kennedy's time line and perspective. Vashaw said his company has used artificial dyes for around 50 years and "we believe they're safe." He added Spangler hasn't reached an agreement "with anybody" on discontinuing their use. There aren't any regulations currently saying companies will have to stop using the dyes, he said. "There's talk, but actual regulations are another thing," he said during an interview at the Sweets & Snacks Expo in Indianapolis last week and a subsequent phone conversation. "It's likely that when we get to the end of 2026 that we will still have products that will still have these artificial colors," Vashaw said. "One, there might not even be the supply for these natural colors, and two, we have to do what the consumers want, and it's not clear to us that these consumers want these natural colors." Spangler has made dye-free variants of some of its products with natural flavorings for more than 30 years, including candy canes and, at times, a line of Dum Dums. But Vashaw's experience is that these products aren't what consumers actually want. "We have natural items now," Vashaw said. "They're just not bought in any meaningful way." In the case of the candy canes, "some people think it tastes like dirt," he said. Natural candy canes make up less than 2% of Spangler's total candy cane sales, and the firm ended up pulling its natural Dum Dums after they proved a flop. Allergy concerns Vashaw also expressed concern about new colors that the FDA approved this month, such as Galdieria extract blue, which is derived from algae, and butterfly pea flower extract, made from dried flower petals, saying the ingredients could potentially be allergenic for some people. In their regulations approving the dyes, the FDA concluded that both colors pose little risk for allergic reactions. Some companies are expanding their tests of natural dyes as government pressure for a change increases. PepsiCo Inc., for example, has come out with Simply Ruffles Hot & Spicy, which uses tomato powder and red chile pepper instead of the artificial dyes that give other chips their vibrant color. Vashaw said his company will continue to test natural ingredients, but the lack of regulatory clarity is creating confusion about what will happen. "Right now, it's more of a guideline," he said. "Is it really going to get enforced? Is it going to get pushed back? When their Doritos are a dull orange, are people going to accept that?" Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Bloomberg
19-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Dum Dums Lollipops Stands by Bright Dyes, Despite RFK Jr.'s Push
The US government is pushing food companies to switch their bright synthetic dyes to natural colors — but the maker of Dum Dums lollipops and Sweethearts candy hearts is in no rush. Kirk Vashaw, chief executive officer of Spangler Candy Company, said a key problem with changing ingredients is taste. Take beet juice: 'That's a nice red, but it tastes like beets,' he said.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
An 8-Year-Old Used His Mom's Phone to Buy 70,000 Dum Dums Lollipops on Amazon—And the Reason Why Has Us Sobbing
A mom from Kentucky made headlines across the country when her eight-year-old son left her—and her wallet—in a not-so-sweet predicament last week. According to various reports, over the weekend, Holly LaFavers was made aware that something was terribly wrong when she discovered that her bank account was in the red because of a $4,200 charge from Amazon. That's when she was made aware that her son, Liam had purchased around 70,000 Dum Dums lollipops via her Amazon account. Related: Krispy Kreme Just Released the Most Adorable Doughnuts for Mother's Day, and Fans Say 'They're So Cute' "I had just gotten paid, and so when I looked at my bank account and it was in the red, I just immediately panicked. I looked to see what was causing that, and I saw the $4,200 charge to Amazon. And so immediately looked over at Amazon [to] see what had happened," LaFavers shared with Good Morning America. We have to admit that the reason why little Liam, who was adopted by LaFavers when he was nearly three-years-old, purchased the lollipops has us practically in tears. LaFavers revealed that he wanted to host a carnival for his friends and give away Dum Dums lollipops as prizes. As kind as the gesture was, LaFavers did reach out to Amazon about getting a refund for the massive order of candy. She was told by the company to reject the packages of Dum Dums when they arrived to her home. The packages arrived at different times, so LaFavers was unable to catch the delivery drivers in time to reject them all. After reaching out to her bank, selling some of the surplus of Dum Dums pops and speaking with news stations, LaFavers finally received a full refund from Amazon. Related: Baskin-Robbins' Newest Flavor Uses This Central American Dessert For Inspiration "After a long day of working with the bank and talking to a few news stations, Amazon called and they are refunding my money!!! THANK YOU to everyone that offered to buy a box to help us. I will be happy to get you what you 'ordered' or donate them to a charity of your choice. Please dm me your preference," she wrote in a note shared on Facebook. Now Dum Dums, what do we have to do to get Liam that carnival afterall? Up Next Related: Target's Bold New Summer Ice Cream Flavors Already Have Fans Obsessed
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
8-Year-Old Boy Orders 70,000 Dum Dums Lollipops on His Mom's Phone, Costing Her $4,200 in the Process
Holly LaFavers from Kentucky was charged over $4000 after her son Liam ordered 70,000 Dum Dums lollipops on her Amazon account After multiple attempts for help, LaFavers was eventually issued a full refund from Amazon The mother revealed that Liam, whom she adopted when he was 2 and 1/2, has fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) A mother from Kentucky found herself in a sticky spot when her 8-year-old son got hold of her cell phone. According to NBC News and ABC News, Holly LaFavers was left in shock after discovering that her son Liam had ordered around 70,000 Dum Dums lollipops via her Amazon account. LaFavers reportedly realized this on Sunday, May 4, after she noticed a $4,200 charge from Amazon on her account. "I had just gotten paid, and so when I looked at my bank account and it was in the red, I just immediately panicked," she told Good Morning America. "I looked to see what was causing that, and I saw the $4,200 charge to Amazon. And so immediately looked over at Amazon [to] see what had happened." The single mother revealed that Liam, who has the fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and was adopted by LaFavers when he was 2 and 1/2, wanted to have a carnival for his friends and use the lollipops as prizes. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "He was being friendly and kind to his friends," she said, per NBC News While he usually plays with his mother's phone as a reward, LaFavers told GMA that Liam knew he wasn't allowed to place any orders. The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Amazon logo Amazon logo Related: Dum Dums Lollipop Founder's Great-Granddaughter Turns Surplus Fruits and Veggies Into 'Climate Candy' "Never has this happened before. He just likes to shop on there, window shop, I guess," she said. After calling Amazon, LaFavers was guided by staff to reject the delivery so she could be refunded, however, 22 boxes still arrived at her doorstep. Jmcanally/Shutterstock Dum Dums lollipops Dum Dums lollipops "Liam went outside to ride his scooter and started screaming, 'My suckers are here,'" she told the show. "There were just 22 boxes of suckers on our front porch." While another eight arrived two hours later, LaFavers waited outside to reject those parcels. "It was probably around dinner time, Sunday evening, I just kind of, for lack of better words, gave up and decided I was gonna have to ask for help," she said after expressing her frustration to Amazon. Related: Necco Candies Are Returning to Stores After 2-Year Hiatus LaFavers then took to Facebook to ask friends in her community for help. According to GMA, the mother's friends and family quickly stepped in to buy boxes, with doctor's offices and local banks also purchasing them. LaFavers then revealed in a Facebook update on Sunday that she had finally been issued a full refund by Amazon. 'After a long day of working with the bank and talking to a few news stations, Amazon called and they are refunding my money!!!,' she wrote. 'THANK YOU to everyone that offered to buy a box to help us. I will be happy to get you what you 'ordered' or donate them to a charity of your choice. Please dm me your preference.' She told GMA that they also donated a box to their local church and will be taking another pack of Dum Dums to Liam's school. In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Amazon confirmed that they had issued a full refund to LaFavers: "We're glad we were able to work directly with this customer to turn a sticky situation into something sweet," they said. According to the Mayo Clinic, 'fetal alcohol spectrum disorders describe the range of conditions in children caused when the mothers drank alcohol during pregnancy," with symptoms including learning, thinking, physical, and behavioral issues. Read the original article on People
The Independent
06-05-2025
- The Independent
Kentucky boy uses mother's phone to order 70K Dum-Dum suckers to share with his friends
A Kentucky woman was in a sticky mess when she found stacks of boxes containing lollipops on her front doorstep. The surprise delivery was ordered by her young son while he played on her phone. Holly LaFavers says she tried stopping 8-year-old Liam's Amazon order for about 70,000 Dum-Dum suckers before the treats arrived but it was too late. Amazon had already delivered 22 cases to her home. 'He told me that he wanted to have a carnival, and he was ordering the Dum-Dums as prizes for his carnival,' LaFavers said. "Again, he was being friendly, he was being kind to his friends.' The surprise got worse after a quick check of her bank account. She owed about $4,000 for the order. 'When I saw what the number was, I just about fainted,' LaFavers said. Then she found out that eight more cases from the order were unaccounted for, she said. After a trip to the post office, those cases were returned to sender, she said. Her efforts to get a refund took a bit more time but she got her money back. 'After a long day of working with the bank and talking to a few news stations Amazon called and they are refunding my money,' she said in a social media post. LaFavers said she was changing some settings on her phone to make sure there's never another surprise delivery at home.
