Candy Blog

1. SunDrops are the worst! I was in Whole Foods the other day and I actually talked a stranger into putting them back. And to think, Whole Foods sells 5 Star Bars along side these waxy, nasty “candies”!

   Comment by Natty on 11/21/05 at 3:26 pm

    

2. I like the new rating system. “Appalling” tells me what I need to know.

   This sounds like so many of those “eat them, they’re good for you” things that are more a punishment than anything else.

   I think I’ll enjoy some M&Ms; to wash the review out of my mouth.

   Thank you so much for letting me know!

   Comment by Russ on 11/21/05 at 7:42 pm

    

3. I’ve had these before and I didn’t think they were that bad.  Then again, it was at a time when I wasn’t eating much chocolate.  Or any at all?  God forbid.

   And now all I like to eat are full size chocolate bars!

   Comment by Robyn on 11/22/05 at 12:50 am

    

4. Sun Drops may not be God of Candy World, but they’re still damn good.

   First, unless you’re a toddler and can’t help but put unnaturally bright things in your mouth, you’ll find that Sun Drops are a pleasing *natural* color. That’s because they’re not made with cancer-causing dies.

   Second, Sun Drops are not M&Ms;. On the candy family tree, they’re much closer to Sixlets than M&Ms;. So they’re more fruity than chocolate, which I happen to like.

   Thirdly, Sun Drops are God-awful expensive. If at all possible, buy them bulk (at Wild Oats if you’re in Portland).

   Comment by jason maurer on 1/03/06 at 9:30 pm

    

5. I feel sorry for Amy.  She’s always spitting things out.

   Comment by Sophia on 11/08/06 at 6:22 pm

    

6. I really don’t mind the peanut Sun Drops, personally, as natural/organic is the only choice for our family due to my eldest son’s medical condition.

   But if you’re looking for a really yummy natural treat, try Woodstock Farms milk chocolate malt balls.  The chocolate is real and I think quite tasty.  The centers are not as “malty” as some of the more chemical-laden alternatives, but they still satisfy.  They sell them in bulk at my local natural foods grocer, but I have never looked for them a Whole Foods.

   Comment by Lindsay on 2/22/07 at 5:08 pm

    

7. I totally agree with Jason on these Sun Drops.  These are a very good alternative to those chemical laden M&Ms; that some children can’t eat.  For those children, these are a very tasty and much healthier treat.  I even like them myself.  They don’t have the same crunch and taste as those oh so bad for us treats that we grew up on, but the kids that grow up only eating these kinds of candies are going to be so much better off and less their chances of cancer caused by all of those colors, preservatives and chemicals that we can’t pronounce in our foods.  I say try them… I think you will like them.  No rashes for kids allergic to those colors either, but then you feel like you are having M&Ms;....

   Comment by Stephanie on 6/22/07 at 8:30 am

    

8. I love sundrops. The peanut ones are my favorite!  I love the subtle taste that the all natural colors from vegetable sources impart.  It helps me to think more along the lines of living in harmony with nature.  Also, I would not put all that artificial color crap in my or my daughter’s body.  I do wish they were cheaper.

   Comment by Karen on 10/03/07 at 11:41 am

    

9. I tried Sun Drops for the first time today, and I have to say they’re not that bad. The flavor is quite different from M&Ms;, and actually a bit sweeter. While I agree that they’re not that appealing to look at, the taste makes up for it.

   Comment by Mindy on 11/09/07 at 1:47 am

    

10. This is a great alternative for children who have a sensitivity to Corn Syrup.  That is why I buy them.  My sons are quite pleased to have an “m&m” like candy since they know that they can’t have m&m’s due to the corn syrup.

    Comment by lynn zeiner on 12/05/07 at 5:45 pm

     

11. first, sun drops are delicious and addictive, you obviously do not know your candy

    second, sun drops are made with all natural and organic ingredients, there are no synthetic preservatives, and the colours look like “old lady lipstick” (good metaphor?) because theyre are dyed using concentrated beet, carrot, etc. do your research..

    Comment by Dori Lynde on 4/19/08 at 5:23 pm

     

12. also, i just read the end, and you tell parents to buy m&m;‘s for their children instead. [insulting expletives deleted by admin]. might as well just inject them with hydrogenated soybean oil and msg.

    Comment by dori Lynde on 4/19/08 at 5:24 pm

     

13. Do your own research Dori (btw, I removed your profanity, do yourself a favor by clicking that link that notes the comment policy here and find that sort of potty material is not welcome). There is no hydrogenated soybean oil or MSG in M&MS;or Raisinets or plain old chocolate chips (which you can get organic and fair trade these days). Sunspire Sun Drops may be all-natural, but they are not organic.

    This review is 2 1/2 years old. I’ve reviewed far more candies in the time since then. Oh, wait, no, you didn’t do any research ... you just clicked on one post on the blog via a google search and jumped to your conclusions. (Yes, I looked in the stats and found how you got here, where you came from and how much time you spent.)

    Click on the organic or all-natural category here on the blog and you can find dozens of better candies that actually have less sugar in them.

    You can like them because you think they’re tasty, but don’t tell me that I should think that they are.

    Treats are just that, treats. They are not a mode of giving nutrition. If you don’t like the artificial colors, that’s a valid point, but Sunspire Chocolate has more sugar in it than most other chocolate confectionery.

    Comment by Cybele on 4/19/08 at 5:38 pm

     

14. I love sundrops!!!  I am sensitive to chemicals and that includes all of the artificial colorings in everything.  SO for me these are heaven. YUMMMMMM!!!

    Comment by mom of three on 5/22/08 at 7:00 pm

     

15. Having come to this review from a more recent link from another only half-edible Sunspire product, I’m astonished at the defensive reactions from some readers about Sundrops! One has to wonder if the manufacturer planted some reviewers here…

    Sundrops are edible. If you wait a day after trying them and then try them again without having any mainstream sugar products in the meantime, they grow on you (like a fungus…). But if you’re eating PB Cups and M&Ms; and the like… Sundrops are gonna stink in comparison. If all you feed your kids is this kind of all natural thing, they’ll like it a lot, because it’s sweet, and that’s what it comes down to with kids.

    Comment by Karyn on 5/14/09 at 10:22 am

     

16. I’ve eaten probably a hundred pounds of sundrops the past few years.  They are an excellent chocolate treat as sunspire uses high quality chocolate.  the shells are made of beeswax which has its benefits and the coloring is non-toxic unlike the coal-tar derivatives on m&ms;.  there are better chocolate sources including green&black; which is the best I’ve had but sundrops are hardly a failed product and they never “stink” versus mainstream crap products which inevitably contain genetically modified ingredients, artificial or natural flavoring (msg), etc.  I hope “crap” isn’t too potty mouth for you…..

    Comment by michael on 8/31/09 at 6:05 pm

     

17. Sundrops rock! They are so good - M&M’s taste like artificial crap - and they are.

    Comment by Sheryl on 10/07/09 at 4:53 pm

     

18. Sundrops do indeed rock. Plus, I like making a statement that treats don’t have to have artificial flavors and colors to taste good. And I’m pretty sure SunDrops aren’t made with sugar and corn syrup like M&M’s.

    Comment by Me on 10/07/09 at 6:08 pm

     

19. Me - yes, they’re made with sugar. In fact, when I compared them they had more sugar than M&Ms;. Yes, it’s called “evaporated cane juice” which might be nicer for the environment, but it’s processed in the body the same way all sucrose is.

    Honestly, I recommend trying Figamajigs - all natural, better tasting plus the added goodness of real figs.

    Comment by Cybele on 10/07/09 at 6:20 pm

     

20. I meant they’re not made with *refined* sugar, nor are they made with corn syrup.

    Figamajigs are artificially colored, chocolate covered figs…

    Comment by Me on 10/08/09 at 11:08 am

     

21. Me - “refined sugar” and “unrefined sugar” such as evaporated cane juice behave identically in the body. It’s sucrose. Evaporated cane juice contains minute trace minerals (not as much as molasses obviously). I’m not sure what your beef with plain corn syrup is, it’s just glucose. Is it that corn is pretty much all GMO in the US? Or do you think it’s the same as High Fructose Corn Syrup ... because it’s not the same.

    I have no idea what this ingredient Sundrops currently use is “whole rice solids” as that was not in the version that was reviewed here. The version I reviewed was made with molasses. Remember, you’re commenting on a product that was sold FOUR years ago. It is no longer available. (Sunspire was bought by a different company in the interim.)

    As for the Figamajigs comment, they do make an all natural version.

    Another option is Kimmie Candies all natural Sunbursts. They’re chocolate covered sunflowers seeds with all natural colored shells. Again, far less sugar (whatever the source) than Sundrops.

    Just for the record, I don’t have it in for Sunspire products, I enjoy their peppermint pattie and dark chocolate coconut bar. I just think that this product in particular could be better - good chocolate doesn’t have to have a lot of sugar in it.

    Comment by Cybele on 10/08/09 at 11:23 am

     

22. I think a lot of us care *how* our sugar gets to our bodies, yes. Corn allergies and the all-too-powerful corn industry aside, both corn syrup and refined sugar are highly processed with chemicals. Which not only takes more energy, it frightens me. It was only a few months ago that we found out (no thanks to the FDA) that HFCS was being processed with mercury-laden lye.

    That said, I’m not at all a sugar prude. I just like SunDrops!

    And because I was curious, here’s a sugar content rundown:

    Figamajigs: 56%
    M&Ms;: 51%
    Chocoate covered sunflower seeds: 44%
    Peanut M&Ms;: 40%
    SunDrops: 36%
    Peanut SunDrops: 27%

    BTW, I don’t know what “whole rice solids” is, but whole rice syrup solids is a more natural version of corn syrup.

    Comment by Me on 10/09/09 at 3:20 pm

     

23. If you LIKE it better, well that’s all I need to hear!

    I didn’t like them and I believe that forcing your kids to eat a candy they don’t really like is actually worse for them than giving them less of the treat they really want (or finding a different one that meets both strict parent specs and their preferences).

    Comment by Cybele on 10/09/09 at 3:30 pm

     

24. I have been giving my kids Sundrops since our daughter was diagnosed with extremely mild ADD.  Eliminating artificial colors, flavors, and as many preservatives and as much cornsyrup as possible has really helped with her ability to focus.  She is not a big swwet eater but was disappointed when M&Ms; were no longer “on the menu”.  These are an acceptable alternative for her.  Our sweet tooth son actually likes them better than M&Ms;.  If you don’t have food issues and don’t mind popping the chemicals and injesting them, stick with the M&Ms;.

    Comment by D. on 10/21/09 at 9:00 am

     

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