The UK's sugariest Halloween treats revealed, and chocolate doesn't top the list

The UK's sugariest Halloween treats revealed, and chocolate doesn't top the list

Chupa Chups lollipops top the study at 78% sugar by weight, followed by Skittles Fruits at 74% and Sour Patch Kids Monster Heads at 72%.

The Halloween version of Sour Patch Kids contains more sugar than the original, with Monster Heads recording 72g per 100g compared with 63g in the standard sweets.

Kinder Bueno contains the least sugar per 100g of the 42 products studied, at 41.2g, while Cadbury Crunchie, Fudge and M&M's Chocolate each contain 65g.

A new study has revealed the Halloween sweets with the most sugar in the UK, with Chupa Chups lollipops taking the top spot.

The research by Go Smoke Free analysed the nutritional information for 42 popular sweets and chocolates sold in the UK. Products were selected from YouGov's confectionery popularity rankings and Sainsbury's Halloween range, with those available in Halloween, treat-size, fun-size or multipack formats eligible for analysis.

The labels were then checked for the amount of sugar in each product, with sweets ranked by their total sugar content per 100g. Researchers also calculated the equivalent in teaspoons, using four grams of sugar per teaspoon.

The top 10 Halloween sweets and chocolates by sugar content

| Rank | Product | Sugar per 100g | Equivalent teaspoons of sugar per 100g | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | Chupa Chups lollipops | 78g | 19.5 | | 2 | Skittles Fruits | 74g | 18.5 | | 3 | Sour Patch Kids Monster Heads | 72g | 18 | | =4 | Maoam Pinballs | 70g | 17.5 | | =4 | Nerds Gummy Clusters | 70g | 17.5 | | =5 | Cadbury Crunchie | 65g | 16.3 | | =5 | Cadbury Fudge | 65g | 16.3 | | =5 | M&M's Chocolate | 65g | 16.3 | | =6 | Sour Patch Kids Original | 63g | 15.8 | | =6 | Swizzels Curious Chews | 63g | 15.8 | | =7 | Maoam Joystixx | 60g | 15 | | =7 | Maoam Stripes | 60g | 15 | | =7 | Smarties | 60g | 15 | | 8 | Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles | 59.4g | 14.9 | | 9 | Terry's Chocolate Orange | 59g | 14.8 | | =10 | Cadbury Flake | 58g | 14.5 | | =10 | Cadbury Twirl | 58g | 14.5 | | =10 | Maoam Broom Stixx | 58g | 14.5 | | =10 | Rolo | 58g | 14.5 |

Chupa Chups lollipops have the highest sugar content of the products assessed, with 78g of sugar per 100g. This means that more than three-quarters of the product's weight is sugar, equivalent to 19.5 teaspoons per 100g. One 12g lollipop contains approximately 9.4g of sugar.

Skittles Fruits have the second-highest sugar content in the study. Almost three-quarters of their weight is sugar, with 74g per 100g, equivalent to 18.5 teaspoons. An 18g fun-size bag contains approximately 13.3g of sugar, or 3.3 teaspoons.

Sour Patch Kids Monster Heads place third, with 72g of sugar per 100g, equivalent to 18 teaspoons. The Halloween edition contains nine grams more sugar per 100g than Sour Patch Kids Original, which has a different recipe and appears separately in the ranking.

Maoam Pinballs and Nerds Gummy Clusters tie for fourth, with 70g of sugar per 100g. Sugar accounts for 70% of each product's weight, equivalent to 17.5 teaspoons per 100g. Both contain five grams more sugar per 100g than the highest-ranking chocolates.

In joint fifth place are Cadbury Crunchie, Cadbury Fudge and M&M's Chocolate, each containing 65g of sugar per 100g, equivalent to 16.3 teaspoons. The 26.1g Crunchie multipack bar assessed contains approximately 17g of sugar, while a 22g Fudge bar contains 14.3g.

Sour Patch Kids Original and Swizzels Curious Chews tie for sixth, with 63g of sugar per 100g, equivalent to 15.8 teaspoons. A 17.5g treat bag of Sour Patch Kids Original contains approximately 11g of sugar, or 2.8 teaspoons.

Maoam Joystixx, Maoam Stripes and Smarties share seventh place, with 60g of sugar per 100g, equivalent to 15 teaspoons. The labelled 25g portions of Joystixx and Stripes each contain 15g of sugar, while a 14.4g mini carton of Smarties contains approximately 8.6g.

Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles follows in eighth place, with 59.4g of sugar per 100g. This is equivalent to approximately 14.9 teaspoons, with sugar making up more than half of the sweets' weight.

Terry's Chocolate Orange ranks ninth, with 59g of sugar per 100g, equivalent to 14.8 teaspoons. The 35g bar assessed contains approximately 20.7g of sugar, or 5.2 teaspoons.

Cadbury Flake, Cadbury Twirl, Maoam Broom Stixx and Rolo tie for tenth, each containing 58g of sugar per 100g, equivalent to 14.5 teaspoons. A 25.5g Flake multipack bar contains approximately 14.8g of sugar, while the 21.5g Twirl bar assessed contains 12.5g. The labelled 25g portion of Halloween edition Maoam Broom Stixx contains 14.5g of sugar.

At the other end of the ranking, Kinder Bueno has the lowest sugar content of the products assessed, with 41.2g per 100g. Haribo Bone Shakers follows at 42g, while Lindt Lindor milk chocolate contains 45g per 100g.

A spokesperson from Go Smoke Free said: "Halloween gives people plenty of choice when it comes to sweets, but they aren't necessarily always good. The Halloween edition of Sour Patch Kids, for instance, contains noticeably more sugar than the original sweets, at 72g per 100g compared with 63g. It's easy to pick up a familiar brand and assume you know what's in the bag, but seasonal versions can have a different recipe.

"Chupa Chups also stands out, with more than three-quarters of its weight made up of sugar. Yet one 12g lollipop contains around 9.4g of sugar, compared with 17g in the 26.1g Crunchie bar assessed. A product further down the ranking can still contain more sugar in an individual treat simply because it's bigger.

"For anyone stocking up for trick-or-treaters, it's worth checking the size of the individually wrapped sweets as well as the sugar figures. Fun-size bags, multipack bars and mini cartons can all contain quite different amounts, even when they look like similarly small treats.

"It's also worth thinking about how several small treats add up. One 12g Chupa Chups lollipop and an 18g funsize bag of Skittles together contain around 22.7g of sugar, even though that's only two items from the Halloween haul. Parents could choose a small selection with their children and put the rest aside for another day, rather than leaving the whole bag open to dip into."

ENDS

Sources

• Manufacturer nutritional information.
• Ocado and Sainsbury's product listings.
• YouGov's UK confectionery popularity rankings for Q3 2026.
• Sainsbury's 2026 Halloween "Trick or treat" range.

Methodology

The study examined 42 sweets and chocolates sold in the UK that met the study's criteria for Halloween, treat-size, funsize or multipack availability. Mixed assortments of separately branded products, biscuits, cakes, ice cream and unrelated seasonal lines were excluded.

Each product was ranked by the grams of total sugar declared per 100g on its nutritional label. Figures were checked against a second source, using manufacturer information and retailer listings. Teaspoon equivalents were calculated using four grams of sugar per teaspoon.

The figures measure total sugar, including naturally occurring sugars such as lactose in milk chocolate, rather than added sugar alone. They are based on declared label values, not laboratory testing.

The full UK Halloween sweets and chocolates sugar ranking

| Rank | Product | Sugar per 100g | Equivalent teaspoons of sugar per 100g | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | Chupa Chups lollipops | 78g | 19.5 | | 2 | Skittles Fruits | 74g | 18.5 | | 3 | Sour Patch Kids Monster Heads | 72g | 18 | | =4 | Maoam Pinballs | 70g | 17.5 | | =4 | Nerds Gummy Clusters | 70g | 17.5 | | =5 | Cadbury Crunchie | 65g | 16.3 | | =5 | Cadbury Fudge | 65g | 16.3 | | =5 | M&M's Chocolate | 65g | 16.3 | | =6 | Sour Patch Kids Original | 63g | 15.8 | | =6 | Swizzels Curious Chews | 63g | 15.8 | | =7 | Maoam Joystixx | 60g | 15 | | =7 | Maoam Stripes | 60g | 15 | | =7 | Smarties | 60g | 15 | | 8 | Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles | 59.4g | 14.9 | | 9 | Terry's Chocolate Orange | 59g | 14.8 | | =10 | Cadbury Flake | 58g | 14.5 | | =10 | Cadbury Twirl | 58g | 14.5 | | =10 | Maoam Broom Stixx | 58g | 14.5 | | =10 | Rolo | 58g | 14.5 | | 11 | Toblerone Tinies | 57g | 14.3 | | 12 | Aero Milk Chocolate | 56.7g | 14.2 | | =13 | Cadbury Dairy Milk | 56g | 14 | | =13 | Cadbury Dairy Milk Buttons | 56g | 14 | | 14 | Cadbury Wispa | 55g | 13.8 | | =15 | Galaxy Smooth Milk Chocolate | 54g | 13.5 | | =15 | Maltesers | 54g | 13.5 | | 16 | Kinder Chocolate | 53.3g | 13.3 | | 17 | Kinder Surprise | 52.3g | 13.1 | | 18 | Kinder Schoko-Bons | 52.2g | 13.1 | | 19 | Reese's Peanut Butter Cups | 51.1g | 12.8 | | 20 | Kinder Joy | 51g | 12.8 | | =21 | Cadbury Curly Wurly | 50g | 12.5 | | =21 | Haribo Tangfastics | 50g | 12.5 | | 22 | Kit Kat (2 finger) | 49.6g | 12.4 | | 23 | Snickers | 49g | 12.3 | | 24 | Twix | 48g | 12 | | =25 | Haribo Sour Skeletons | 47g | 11.8 | | =25 | Haribo Starmix | 47g | 11.8 | | =25 | Haribo Twin Snakes | 47g | 11.8 | | 26 | Lindt Lindor milk chocolate | 45g | 11.3 | | 27 | Haribo Bone Shakers | 42g | 10.5 | | 28 | Kinder Bueno | 41.2g | 10.3 |