In the United States, Smarties are a type of

tablet Tablet may refer to: Medicine * Tablet (pharmacy), a mixture of pharmacological substances pressed into a small cake or bar, colloquially called a "pill" Computing * Tablet computer, a mobile computer that is primarily operated by touching the s ...

candy produced by Smarties Candy Company, formerly known as Ce De Candy Inc., since 1949. Smarties are produced in factories in both Union Township, New Jersey, and Newmarket, Ontario. The candies distributed in Canada are marketed as Rockets, to avoid confusion with Smarties, a chocolate candy produced by Nestlé which owns the trademark in Canada. The New Jersey factory produces approximately 1 billion rolls of Smarties annually, and in total the company produces over 2.5 billion in a year. One individual candy is a

biconcave A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements''), ...

disc in shape, with a diameter of roughly 1 cm (0.39 in) and a height of roughly 4 mm (0.16 in). Larger ones have a diameter of 2.5 cm (0.98 in) and are about 6 mm (0.24 in) thick. Smarties come in combinations of colors within their wrapped rolls; these include white and pastel shades of yellow, pink, orange, purple, and green. Each color's flavor is different. They are usually packaged as a roll of 15 candies. Smarties candies are peanut-free, gluten-free, fat-free and dairy-free. All Smarties candies are free of animal products and therefore vegan.

History

After World War II, the Dee family bought pellet machines and repurposed them to make candy. This gave the candy its resemblance to

-style pills in shape and texture. When sugar prices spiked in the 1970s, Ce De Candy switched from sucrose to dextrose. In 2004, Ce De Candy Co., Inc., in conjunction with Rock The Vote, manufactured 50 special edition Smarties with "Rock the Vote" on the wrapper. A 3.5-ounce Theater box was released in 2009, with a retro look on the boxes. In 2011, Ce De Candy Company, Inc. changed its name to Smarties Candy Company. In August 2011, the company confirmed that Smarties were vegan.

Production

The Smarties Candy Company operates two factories that produce Smarties 24 hours a day for five days a week, amounting to over 70,000 pounds (around 32,000 kilograms) per day. After mixing the dry ingredients they are pressed into tablets and then stacked and rolled into a Smarties wrapper for packaging.

Ingredients

The ingredients in Smarties candies are

dextrose Glucose is a simple sugar with the molecular formula . Glucose is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. Glucose is mainly made by plants and most algae during photosynthesis from water and carbon dioxide, using ...

, citric acid, calcium stearate, natural and artificial

flavor Flavor or flavour is either the sensory perception of taste or smell, or a flavoring in food that produces such perception. Flavor or flavour may also refer to: Science *Flavors (programming language), an early object-oriented extension to Lis ...

s, and colors. There are 25 calories and 6.9 grams of sugar in a roll of Smarties.

Flavors

Each package contains an assortment of

pastel A pastel () is an art medium in a variety of forms including a stick, a square a pebble or a pan of color; though other forms are possible; they consist of powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are similar to those use ...

colors in the following flavors: * White: cream * Yellow: pineapple * Pink: cherry * Green: strawberry * Purple: grape * Orange: orange Smarties Candy Company also produces "X-treme sour" and "tropical" varieties of Smarties as well as lollipops in three sizes. In October 2015, the company launched Smarties 'n Creme, which are

quarter A quarter is one-fourth, , 25% or 0.25. Quarter or quarters may refer to: Places * Quarter (urban subdivision), a section or area, usually of a town Placenames * Quarter, South Lanarkshire, a settlement in Scotland * Le Quartier, a settlement i ...

-sized candy tablets with Smarties flavor on one side and creme flavor on the other.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Smarties (Ce De Candy)
Smarties website
Brand name confectionery Products introduced in 1949 Candy