The top stories on CBS4.com
Oct 20, 2009 8:09 pm US/Eastern
EcoZone: Go "Green" This Halloween With Candy
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
-
-
Gummy worms were one of the many candy choices found at Whole Foods in Coral Gables, made without artificial ingredients.
CBS
Three words go hand in hand with Halloween.
"Trick or Treat!'
This year the candy you hand out can be more that just a ghoulish treat – it can also be 'green'.
Eco-friendly mom Coco Palenque Torre and her little 'trick or treater' Olivia met
CBS4 anchor Erika von Tiehl at the Whole Foods market in Coral Gables to show her what makes a 'green' treat stand out from the rest.
Surveying the organic candy on display, Torre liked what she saw when checking out a package of gummy worms.
"This is nice because it has natural colors and flavors as opposed to dyes," said Torre. "Umm, gummy worms are always a classic for Halloween, right?"
Torre said the first step in selecting 'green' candy is to look for treats that use fruit juice for coloring, like beet juice for red. You should also look for the USDA "Organic" label.
Looks may be one thing, but the all important factor is taste.
"You know candy is candy," said Torre, "I wouldn't be too concerned about a kid saying 'yucky, I won't eat this'."
Organic candy comes in all shapes and sizes – including organic lollipops which are a bit small than your average Tootsie pop.
"These are great; these I buy a little smaller and have as a little treat in the house for her," said Torre.
Another item to consider are fruit roll snacks made with real fruit and not added sugar or artificial colors.
When considering organic chocolate products, Torre said you should look on the packaging for the term "fair trade", which means the farmers who produced the product were paid fair wages.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Burned Teen's Family Staying Positive
Click to enlarge
I-Team: Tracking The Florida Stimulus Money Trail 
Stumble It!
