Spooked by sugar: Americans search for healthier Halloween treats

NEW YORK - Some Americans are so spooked about the harmful effects of sugar they are finding healthier ways to indulge on Halloween, without disappointing children by handing out apples.

Some companies, such as upstart candy maker Unreal, privately owned health products maker Xlear Inc and Kosher Foods producer Kayco, have developed low-sugar candies from unusual concoctions to win over health-conscious, sugar-wary shoppers.

Kevin Schiffman, a self-described 'health freak,” bought a can of Unreal chocolates for $20 during a recent trip to Whole Foods, opting to spend significantly more on the treats he plans to hand out to trick-or-treaters than last year.

The treats, which are made from fair trade cocoa and cane sugar, puffed quinoa, and cabbage, carrots and beets for coloring, contain around 5 grams of sugar per serving, compared with over 20 grams for many traditional candy bars.

In other years, he said he handed out assorted chocolates like Reese's and Kit Kats, wary that health-minded people sometimes draw groans and eye-rolls from trick-or-treaters by giving out apples or toothbrushes.

'There wasn't really much out there that you could choose from unless you're giving out fruit,” said the 35-year-old Boston-area resident, who works in sales at WikiFoods, a Cambridge, Mass., food company.

'We don't want to get eggs on the house.”

Xlear hopes to win over customers with its Sparx brand of candies that use xylitol, a fibrous sugar found in birch trees and corncobs that it says is safe for diabetics and lower in calories than cane sugar.

At the moment, they are only sold at health food stores and distributed to dental offices to give to kids as part of Halloween candy buyback programs, though the company is planning to expand, said Shad Slaughter, a consultant at Xlear.

Kayco has introduced Chocolate Leather, a chewier, lower-sugar chocolate bar.

'With the growing awareness of parents who would like their kids to eat less sugar, this is going to grow,” said Glenn Schacher, a research and development specialist in New York who developed the product.