The National Retail Federation indicates that shoppers are expected to spend $29.1 billion this Valentine’s Day in 2026, surpassing the previous $27.5 billion record in 2025. 

While shoppers buy many items on Valentine’s Day, candy is actually the most popular item. The National Retail Federation reports that 56% of consumers plan to buy candy for this holiday. By comparison, just 41% plan to buy flowers, 41% will buy greeting cards, 39% will pay for an evening out, and 25% will buy jewelry. 

Unfortunately, those shopping for candy need to be very careful about what they buy. That’s because of a troubling new report that reveals some of the most popular candies could be very dangerous to consumers.

A study revealed that some popular candies can contain a harmful contaminant.

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Some candies contain an unacceptable level of arsenic

Inorganic arsenic is a toxic metalloid found naturally in the environment, so everyone is exposed to it to some degree by eating food, drinking water, and breathing air, according to the Centers for Disease Control’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).

The problem is that some food ingredients, including cocoa and rice used in candy-making, may contain pesticide residue that heightens arsenic content to dangerous levels. Arsenic contamination can also occur during processing or packaging of candy products.

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ATSDR indicates that high arsenic exposure increases risks of:

  • Irritation of the stomach and intestines
  • Blood vessel damage
  • Skin, liver, bladder, and lung cancer

To investigate this danger, the Florida Department of Health funded a study showcasing the dangers of popular candy products.

It evaluated many different candies, including some of the most popular treats in the United States. The study revealed the quantity of these items consumers would need to eat before being exposed to an unsafe level of arsenic.  

Which candies contain high arsenic levels, and how much can you eat?

Unfortunately, the study found that many of the candies had very high arsenic levels. While the EPA allows 10 parts per billion of arsenic in drinking water, advocates argue that this is too high and contributes to cancer development.

Unfortunately, many of the candies had a far greater amount of arsenic than that, with some containing up to 570 parts per billion. Real Simple summarized the riskiest candies and detailed how much of each one you can eat in a year before reaching a dangerous level of arsenic exposure.

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To stay safe, here’s how much you can eat of some of the country’s most popular candies annually before you go over the limit for arsenic.

  • Black Forest Gummy Bears: 16 pieces for children and 40 pieces for adults
  • Laffy Taffy Banana Candy: 4 pieces for children and 9 3/5 pieces for adults
  • Nerds (Grape): 96 pieces for children and 240 pieces for adults
  • Nerds (Strawberry): 96 pieces for children and 240 pieces for adults
  • Nerds Gummy Cluster: 24 pieces for children and 60 pieces for adults
  • SweeTarts: 48 pieces for children and 120 pieces for adults
  • SweeTarts Ropes: 3 ropes for children and 7 1/2 ropes for adults
  • Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers: 12 pieces for children and 30 pieces for adults
  • Hershey’s Cookies ‘N’ Creme: 1 1/5 bars for children and 3 bars for adults
  • Jolly Rancher Hard Candy (Sour Apple): 6 pieces for children and 15 pieces for adults
  • Jolly Rancher Hard Candy (Strawberry): 6 pieces for children and 15 pieces for adults
  • Twizzlers (Strawberry): 4 pieces for children and 9 3/5 pieces for adults
  • Twizzlers (Cherry): 8 pieces for children and 20 pieces for adults
  • Twizzlers (Watermelon): 18 pieces for children and 45 pieces for adults
  • Kit Kat: 2 2/5 pieces for children and 6 pieces for adults
  • 3 Musketeers: 2 2/5 pieces for children and 20 pieces for adults
  • Snickers: 2 2/5 pieces for children and 6 pieces for adults
  • Skittles: 48 pieces for children and 120 pieces for adults
  • Sour Patch Kids: 36 pieces for children and 90 pieces for adults
  • Sour Patch Kids (Tropical): 18 pieces for children and 45 pieces for adults
  • Sour Patch Kids (Watermelon): 12 pieces for children and 30 pieces for adults
  • Swedish Fish: 8 pieces for children and 20 pieces for adults
  • Dots Candy: 12 pieces for children and 30 pieces for adults
  • Tootsie Roll Fruit Chew Lime: 8 pieces for children and 20 pieces for adults
  • Tootsie Roll: 8 pieces for children and 20 pieces for adults
  • Tootsie Roll Vanilla: 8 pieces for children and 20 pieces for adults
  • Smart Sweets Caramels: 1 bag for children and 2 2/5 bags for adults
  • Smart Sweets Sweet Fish: 1 bag for children and 2 2/5 bags for adults

Unfortunately, as Real Simple explained, you can’t mix and match. If you eat a bag of Swedish Fish and one Tootsie Roll, you’ve exceeded the yearly limit.

If you’re buying any of these candies, be aware of the risk and make sure to limit your own intake as well as that of your kids.

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