The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-09-28
HOW MUCH CANDY WE EAT
S2co,0oo,oO0 Worth of Sweets Con
sumed Last Year.

sumed Last Year.
The plea of Food Administrator |
Hoover for a decrease in the con-
sumption of sugar brings to mind the |
amount of sugar that Americans con- |
sumo annually in the form of candy. |
Although Americans have the reputa-
ton of being extrayagant, yet accord
ing to government commerce report |
for the last year, the per capita con-
sumption Of confectionery products
was only $3.50. This, however, does
not include the amount of home
made candy consumed, for which no
statistics are available, nor does it
include the sugar used in milk choco-
late which is so popular as confec-
tion.
Yet even the $3.50 of the present
time seems large when compared
with the per capita consumption 65
years ago. Then it was but 10 cents,
| though most likely the use Of home
| made candy was much greater than it
is now. Sixty-tive years ago less than
| 400 establishments were needed to
supply the American demand for fac
| tory-made sweets. Their aggregate
capital was little more than $1,000
600, the value of their products not
| much over 100000
Today, assuming that the industry
has maintained during the last two
years the same rate of growth as
in the five-year period 1909-14, the
industry embraces over $500 establish
ments. represents the investment of
100000 capital and turns out con-
fections, of various sorts having a
total value Of $1S5,00O,0OO.
On the basis of population of 1922
| 100000 this means net expenditure
| of $1.S0 year for every man, WON
an and child In. continental United
States. These figures are perhaps a
little too large, tpr no account is
| taken Of the amount of candy export
ed. In the tiscalIyear ended June 80
1914, before war upset trade condi
lions, the exports of this product
were almost five times the imports.
Between $175,OOO,O00 and 100000,
600 worth of factory-made CONNECTION
cry, in addition to the vast amounts
OF cocoa and chocolate other thar
confectionery that were consumed
and to the home production of taffy
fudge and other bonbons, was pro
duced in the United States last yea
TO satisfy the American demand TO
! sweets.
The figures in the report reveal al
. increase of 524 per cent in the mum
2 | Der of establishments from 1S49 Il
} | 1914, one of 1896 per cent in thu
: average number of wage earners
| 93l2 per cent in the capital invested
, 1879 per cent in wages, 5S71 per cen
! in the cost of material and one O
! 5519 per cent in the value OF the pro
ducts.
In the census returns the classic
cation of confectionery covers tn
manufacture of all kinds OF cand
and CONNECTIONS, cake ornaments, poT
: corn balls or cake, chewing gum, salt
D ed nuts, stuffed dates, etc, but no
{ operations of establishments maxim
] primarily chocolate. cocoa and sim
1 ldT pTOuuClss Which, are NldSSlneu vi
der the census designation of chocC
d late and cocoa products.
a Unlike American consumers q
s other products, the candy eater muc
n prefers his own Americansmade cand
to the CONNECTIONS of other lands. In
ports of foreign confectionery hav
never been large and with few exceI
tions have been overshadowed b
. the exports.
! The small amount that Is importe
n comes from many different couI
: tries, including Austria-Hungary, FIJI
= land, France, Germany, Italy, tn
n Netherlands. Russia, Spain. Switze
'. land, United Kingdom, Canada, Mex
e co. Cuba, China, Hong-kong, Japa
r and Turkey in Asia American mani
# facturers export candy to almo'
e. every nation in the world