You’ve seen the big bags of mixed candy lining the shelves in time for Halloween. Did you know most every bag contains palm oil? I’ve been researching candy since 2017 when we learned my son was getting sick from palm oil. I was stunned how palm oil is in everything from Skittles and Starburst to Snickers and Twix. We were so disappointed in 2018, when my son’s favorite candy, Peanut M&M’s, changed their ingredients to include palm oil.
Palm oil is inexpensive which is why companies use it. While everyone loves a variety, it comes at a cost: the environment. Many consumers avoid palm oil for the environmental concerns of deforestation.
I don’t buy mixed candy bags for Halloween. Instead, I buy bags containing one type. It’s easy to make your own mix.
I looked at 30+ different bags of mixed candy at my local grocery store and discuss which do and don’t list palm oil in the ingredients. This includes bags with chocolate and non-chocolate candies. I also discuss everyday candy assortments without Halloween labeling.
PLEASE NOTE:
- Natural Flavors can contain palm oil.
- Many companies add Glycerin and other ingredients made from palm oil to make up their Natural Flavors, and they don’t disclose it.
- None of these companies make claims their candies are palm oil free.
- None of these candies are Palm Oil Free Certified through Orangutan Alliance or Palm Oil Free Certification Trademark (POFCAP).
- Always read labels before buying candy.
Toward the bottom — or you can click now on the table of contents to find it — I discuss palm oil free candy that usually comes in bags so you can make your own mix. I also spell out other ingredient names for palm oil in candy.
Mixed Candy Bags for Halloween
Hershey’s Halloween Lovers Snack Size Bag Candy 20 Pieces
All 20 pieces in this Hershey’s mixed bag contain palm oil
All four contain palm oil.
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins
- Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme Fangs
- Kit Kats Witch’s Brew
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Bats
Instead, buy bags containing one type of chocolate, and make your own mix:
- Reese’s:
- Peanut Butter Cups Original
- Peanut Butter Cup Miniatures – Halloween labeling or regular labeling
- Hershey’s:
- Bars: Milk Chocolate – Halloween labeling or regular
- Bars: Milk Chocolate with Almond
- Kisses: Milk Chocolate – Halloween labeling or regular
Hershey’s 50 Miniatures Candy Assortment
Only the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups not do not contain palm oil in this assortment. They are the originals — not the Pumpkins or Bats.
In this assortment, three of the four chocolates contain palm oil.
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups Miniatures – No palm oil
- Kit Kat
- Heath
- Whoppers
Mars Wrigley 260 Pieces Bag
100% of the candy in this mixed candy bag contains palm oil
All of these candies contains palm oil.
- 3 Musketeers
- Starburst Original
- Snickers
- Snickers Peanut Butter
- Skittles Original
Child’s Play 3¼ Pounds of Fun! Funtastic Tootsie Roll Favorites
Only the Dots in this bag of Tootsie Roll candies do not contain palm oil
75% of these contain palm oil.
- Dots – No palm oil
- Tootsie Roll
- Tootsie Roll Pops
- Tootsie Fruit Chews
Watch my video about these mixed candy bags with Tootsie Roll and more:
Mars 135 Pieces Candy Bag
Only the Milk Chocolate M&M’s don’t list palm oil in the ingredients.
- Milk Chocolate M&M’s – No palm oil
- Milky Way
- Twix
- Snickers
- Peanut M&M’s
Charms Candy Carnival
This 2.75 pound bag contains palm oil in all of the candies
All of these contain palm oil ingredients:
- Blow Pops
- Sugar Babies
- Charms Mini Pops
- Sugar Daddy
- Charms Pops
- Blow Pop Bubble Gum
Big Mixed Bag of Ferrero Candy 1.5 Pounds
A minimum of three of these contain palm oil
- Baby Ruth
- Butterfinger
- 100 Grand – Contains Mono- & Diglycerides which can be derived from palm oil
- Crunch – Unsure if this contains palm oil in the Natural Flavors; Crunch is no longer Nestle Crunch; Ferraro owns it now
Monster Mash-Up Dum-Dums Original Pops & Smarties Candy Rolls
Dum-Dums do not contain palm oil; Smarties contain Calcium Stearate which is typically derived from palm oil
- Dum-Dums Lollipops – No palm oil
- Smarties – Contains Calcium Stearate which can be derived from palm oil. Calcium Stearate helps the candy not stick to the machines.
Big Candy Bags without Chocolate
The Nerds in these big bags don’t contain palm oil
- Nerds – No palm oil
- Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers Mini – I do not know what make up the Natural Flavors
- Sweetarts Original – Contains Calcium Stearate
- Laffy Taffy – Contains palm oil and Mono- & Diglycerides
275 Miniatures Chocolate and Non-Chocolate
The Reese’s Cups and two types of Jolly Rancher candies do not contain palm oil ingredients
- Reese’s PB Cups – No palm oil
- Jolly Rancher Lollipops – No palm oil
- Jolly Rancher Stix – No palm oil
- Twizzlers Strawberry
- Kit Kat
- Whoppers
90 Piece Mixed Candy Bag
Milk Chocolate M&M’s do not contain palm oil; Snickers and Skittles do
- Milk Chocolate M&M’s – No palm oil
- Snickers
- Skittles
Mars Mini’s Party Size 125 Pieces
All 125 pieces in this Minis Party Size bag contain palm oil.
- Milky Way Midnight
- 3 Musketeers
- Snickers
- Milky Way
- Twix
Mars Wrigley 55 Pieces Caramel Lovers
All 55 pieces in this Caramel Lovers bag contain palm oil
- Twix
- Snickers
- Milky Way Simply Caramel
- Caramel M&M’s
Peanut & Peanut Butter Lovers 50 Piece Assortment
All of these peanut and peanut butter candies contain palm oil
Palm oil in peanut butter is common.
- Peanut Butter Snickers
- Snickers
- Peanut Butter M&M’s
- Peanut M&M’s
80 Piece Candy Assortment Bag
The Milk Chocolate M&M’s are the only ones that don’t contain palm oil
- M&M’s Milk Chocolate – No palm oil
- Starburst
- Twix
- Snickers
Mars M&M’s Lovers 50 Pieces
Peanut M&M’s, Peanut Butter M&M’s and Fudge Brownie M&M’s list palm oil ingredients
- Milk Chocolate M&M’s – No palm oil
- Peanut Butter M&M’s
- Peanut M&M’s
- Fudge Brownie M&M’s
Hershey’s Halloween Lovers Snack Size 75 Pieces
All 75 pieces in this candy assortment contain palm oil
- Kit Kat Witch’s Brew
- Hershey’s Cookies ‘N’ Creme Fangs
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups Bats
- Kit Kat Breaking Bones
Hershey All Time Greats Snack Size – 60 Pieces and 105 Pieces
Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars and the Reese’s Original Peanut Butter Cups do not contain palm oil.
I also saw 130-piece mixed candy bags with these candies except for the Twizzlers. This assorted candy bag contains:
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups – No palm oil
- Hershey’s Milk Chocolate – No palm oil
- Twizzlers Twists Strawberry Candy
- Almond Joy
- Kit Kat
- Reese’s Pieces
Hershey’s 355 Miniatures and 330 Miniatures
Jolly Rancher’s Stix, Jolly Rancher Lollipops and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are the only ones that don’t contain palm oil.
Hershey’s 355 piece candy assortment:
- Reese’s Original Peanut Butter Cups – No palm oil
- Jolly Rancher Lollipops – No palm oil
- Jolly Rancher Stix – No palm oil
- Whoppers
- Kit Kat
- Twizzlers
Hershey’s 330 piece candy assortment:
- Reese’s Original Peanut Butter Cups – No palm oil
- Hershey’s Cookies ‘N’ Creme
- Milk Duds
- Kit Kat
- Rolo
- Whoppers
Hershey All Time Greats Miniatures 305 Pieces
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups – No palm oil
- Hershey’s Milk Chocolate – No palm oil
- Milk Duds
- Almond Joy
- Kit Kat
- Whoppers
Hershey’s All Time Greats Snack Size – 90 Pieces and 130 Pieces
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups original – No palm
- Hershey’s Milk Chocolate – No palm
- Almond Joy
- Kit Kat
- Reese’s Pieces
Hershey’s 80 Snack Size Pieces
Both of these contain palm oil:
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins
- Kit Kat
Hershey’s All Time Greats – 50 Pieces
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups original – No palm oil
- Hershey’s Milk Chocolate – No palm oil
- Kit Kat
- Almond Joy
Mars 365 Pieces Assortment
Only the M&M’s in the mixed candy bag don’t contain palm oil.
- M&M’s Milk Chocolate – No palm oil
- Milky Way
- Twix
- 3Musketeers
- Snickers
Mars Wrigley 260 Pieces
All contain palm oil.
- 3Musketeers
- Starburst Original
- Snickers
- Snickers Peanut Butter
- Skittles Original
Mars 50 Pieces Candy Bag
- Milk Chocolate M&M’s – No palm oil
- Twix
- Milky Way
- Snickers
Mixed Candy Bags Not Labeled for Halloween
You will find candy mixes all year long. Read labels, and choose bags with just one type of candy. Watch my video as I explain a few of these candy bags.
Hershey’s Party Pack Snack Size
Three candies do not contain palm oil ingredients: Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars, York Peppermint Patties, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
- Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars – No palm oil
- York Peppermint Patties – No palm oil
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups – No palm oil
- Almond Joy
- Kit Kat
Bagged Mix of Reese’s Mini Cups and Kit Kats
The Reese’s Cups do not contain palm oil but the Kit Kats do
- Reese’s Miniature Peanut Butter Cups – No palm oil
- Kit Kat
Hershey’s Miniature Assortment 2 lb 1.38 oz Bag
Reese’s Mini Cups and Hershey’s Milk Chocolate don’t contain palm oil
- Reese’s Cups – No palm oil
- Hershey’s Milk Chocolate – No palm oil
- Kit Kat
- Reese’s Pieces
Hershey’s Caramel Lovers Mix
All four types of these assorted candies contain palm oil
All of these contain palm oil.
- Reese’s Take 5
- Payday
- Rolo
- Milk Dud’s
Hershey’s Assorted Miniature Chocolate Party Pack
“Only” two of the six flavors contain palm oil.
- Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Kisses – No palm oil
- Reese’s Mini Peanut Butter Cups – No palm oil
- Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars – No palm oil
- Hershey’s Special Dark – No palm oil
- Mr. Goodbar Chocolate Candy
- Krackel
Hershey’s Party Pack
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups – No palm oil
- Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars – No palm oil
- Mr. Goodbar Chocolate Candy
Hershey’s Miniatures Party Pack
- Hershey’s Milk Chocolate – No palm oil
- Special Dark – No palm oil
- Krackel
- Mr. Goodbar
What to Buy Instead
Instead of buying mixed candy bags, you can make your own candy mix to have a variety for Halloween, a pinata, for parties, etc. Choose from these candies that I believe do not contain palm oil. Please note, unless they are certified Palm Oil Free from Orangutan Alliance or Palm Oil Free Certification Trademark, it’s difficult to know.
Give a handful to trick or treaters! Reese’s Miniatures have Halloween labeling, and they don’t contain palm oil
- Dots
- Hershey’s Kisses
- Milk Chocolate Kisses
- Milk Chocolate with Almonds Kisses
- Special Dark Kisses
- Hershey Bars
- Milk Chocolate bars
- Milk Chocolate with Almonds bars
- Jolly Ranchers
- Wrapped candies
- Jolly Rancher Stix
- Jolly Rancher Lollipops
- Junior Mints
- Milk Chocolate M&M’s – Note, M&M’s has a few more flavors without palm oil but they don’t come in small individual bags like you would pass out for Halloween
- Nerds Candy
- Mounds
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
- Original
- Miniatures – With and without Halloween labeling; the mini cups are decorated in purple, black, and orange with Halloween graphics; this comes in a 1 lb 15 oz bag
- York Peppermint Patties
Learn more about palm oil free candy for Halloween and all year. Learn more about Hershey Kisses flavors.
Which Candy Always Contains Palm Oil?
All of these candies in all their varieties (for example, Milky Way Midnight as well as regular Milky Way bars) always contain palm oil. There are many more not included in this list.
- Almond Joy
- Heath
- Kit Kats
- 3 Musketeers
- Mike & Ike’s – Contains Medium Chain Triglycerides which can be made from palm oil
- Milk Duds
- Milky Way
- Payday
- Reese’s holiday versions – Bats, Pumpkins, White Ghosts, Peanut Butter Eggs, etc.
- Reese’s Pieces
- Rolo
- Skittles
- Smarties – Calcium Stearate is likely from palm oil
- Snickers
- Starburst
- Take 5
- Tootsie Rolls
- Twizzlers
- Whoppers
Palm Oil Ingredients in Candy
Avoid buying candy with “palm” anywhere in the ingredients. This includes palm oil and palm kernel oil. Other ways companies use palm oil in candy are in these ingredients. They are called palm oil derivatives.
Common palm oil ingredients hidden in candy are:
- Calcium Stearate
- Glycerin
- Glyceryl Monostearate
- Magnesium Stearate
- Medium Chain Triglycerides
- Mono- & Diglycerides
- Tocopherols, Mixed Tocopherols
- Natural Flavors – Can contain palm oil, especially in chocolate
- Citric Acid – Usually sourced from palm oil in chewy candies; less likely in hard candies
Also note, most all vanilla chocolate candies contain palm oil. If you see “chocolate flavored” or “chocolate candy” on the label, there’s an excellent chance it contains palm oil.
Make Your Own Mix Instead of Buying a Variety Pack
It may be tempting to buy a mixed chocolate bag or any big bag of candy for a variety on Halloween. Please take a second to read labels and consider alternatives. While palm oil ingredients are very common in chocolate and non-chocolate candies, you can find some without palm oil.
Buy each bag separately, and make your own mix to hand out to trick or treaters.
- Almond Joy’s got palm oil… Mounds don’t. (Who gets this joke?)
- All Hershey’s Hugs have palm oil… Some Hershey’s Kisses don’t.
- Peanut M&M’s contain palm oil… Milk Chocolate M&M’s don’t.
What’s your favorite candy? Will you be on the lookout for palm oil ingredients in candy? Did you find anything interesting about mixed candy bags? I’d love to hear your Comments below.
Thanks for your interest in this topic! I wanted to highlight as many different chocolate and non-chocolate varieties as possible. My mission is to teach consumers to be aware of palm oil in candy and what to choose instead. I want candy companies to know consumers are paying attention and voting with their dollars.
Learn about finding candy corn without palm oil. I reviewed all the candy corn options at my grocery store.