It might be harder to find the familiar red and whites

Or candy canes.

For some, the striped, peppermint candy hooks are Christmas necessities. But if you’re a Sioux Falls shopper looking to stock up on the popular seasonal treats, you might be coming up dry – or with a fistful of fruity canes, instead.

While this isn’t on par with the great Irish potato famine of the 1800s, some stores are running short on the traditional red and white striped peppermint candy canes.

Candy industry insiders say it’s just the effects of demand during a busy holiday season. But there’s word that the candy cane shortage of 2007 is real – a direct result of the continued scrutiny on all things imported from China.

“I’ve heard that there is a shortage, and, yes, it is because of Chinese candy canes,” says Doug Schroeder, a buyer for Lewis Drug Stores. “A lot of your mass merchants, I won’t name names, but they are running a little short.”

He says Lewis doesn’t buy its candy canes from China and that his stores aren’t having trouble finding candy canes – Lewis buys American-made candy canes.

But stores that rely on Chinese imports to supply their candy are finding it difficult to stock the traditional peppermint candy canes. Thus, consumers are finding more and more of the rainbow-colored fruit-flavored candy canes that often are manufactured under familiar candy brand names such as Starburst or Spree.

Part of this is because many of these fruity canes are made in America. It’s also because this type of candy cane has become more common in recent years.

“So one reason you might see less of the traditional red and white canes is because there are other options,” says Jim Knight, vice president of marketing for Spangler, a candy company in Ohio.

A familiar name in the candy cane business, Knight says Spangler kicks out 2.5 million candy canes a day. Multiply that by – at least – 200 working days, and Spangler makes more than 500 million candy canes a year.

With those kinds of numbers, and the realization that Spangler isn’t the only stateside company making candy canes – Farley’s and Sathers is another prominent company – it’s tough to say we’re in the midst of a true candy cane shortage.

But walk around the candy aisles at some of Sioux Falls’ big-name stores, and you’ll have a hard time finding the traditional candy cane.

“It’s a situation where, I would say, that the majority of the product is coming from China,” Schroeder says of candy canes.

And why this is that?

“A lot of what we call ‘sugar candy’ production has gone off shore because the world price of sugar is cheaper,” says Mary Ellen Kuhn, editor of Confectioner, a food and drink industry magazine.

Kuhn hasn’t heard of a candy cane shortage this year. But she says the scenario sounds plausible simply because of the off-shore candy production.

Like the multitude of Chinese-made toys and children’s products that recently have been pulled from store shelves, candy made in China is making U.S. consumers leery.

Because of safety scares, it can be difficult for retailers to sell anything with the “Made in China” logo this Christmas season.

Yet people still want their candy canes.

“I think every year, candy canes are pretty popular,” says Scott Soucie, store manager of Sioux Falls’ Target.

Soucie says his store hasn’t had trouble acquiring candy canes.

“Every year you get the same old story that candy canes are in short supply. The reality is candy canes are always in short supply,” says Jon Prince, owner of Candy Favorites, a candy wholesaler.

Prince says candy canes are always in high demand. His company has always been able to find enough to sell.

“This will not be a Christmas without candy canes,” Prince says.

That’s a good thing for Christmas romantics.

To browse our selection of candy canes on CandyFavorites.com, please click here

Grether’s Pastilles
More than you want to know about a great product

Grether’s Pastilles are perfect for throat dryness associated with colds, flu, overtaxing of the voice, environmental influences like heating and air conditioning, smoking, medications, age-related conditions, etc. The main active ingredient, glycerine, based on vegetable oils, creates a comforting, moisturizing protective coat on the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat. People who stress their vocal cords by speaking a great deal or singing (among them Bill Clinton, Celine Dion and Sting) value the comforting relief given by the unique pastilles

Grether’s Pastilles have not only this soothing effect and an excellent flavor, they also have a remarkable history: the first mention of pastilles made from blackcurrant juice harken back to the 19th century in England, where the family business Allen & Hanbury Ltd, London got the long pastille tradition off to its start. The pastilles were available in Switzerland as early as 1910 under the original name Allenbury’s. In the early 70s, concurrent with the transfer of production from London to Switzerland, the brand was taken over by Doetsch Grether Ltd. Basel and renamed Grether’s Pastilles.

The demanding, time-consuming production process requires special knowledge and experience, and unique production facilities. Some of the ingredients are still ordered from the same suppliers who provided them for the pastilles’s inventor. The most important of these, Agar Agar, which gives pastilles their smoothness, makes mass production impossible. This gelling agent, produced from saltwater algae, must be soaked for many hours and then combined with the remaining ingredients and cooked. This fluid is then be left to settle to release its air. In the meantime, special wooden cases are filled with corn flour. The Grether’s Pastilles moulds, with the typical GP emblem, are pressed into the cornstarch and then filled with the pastille mixture.

During approximately 6 weeks of the first maturing phase, the corn flour soaks up the surplus moisture of the pastilles. When the required firmness is reached, they are separated from the cornstarch, sprayed with steam and dried overnight. They are now ready for the second, several-week long maturing process: the fruity aroma of the pastilles develops in air-conditioned rooms. So that none of the aroma escapes, the surface of the individual pastilles is coated with a tiny bit of beeswax and vegetable oil, which gives them their shine. Following a strict quality control regimen under the supervision of the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products, Swissmedic, the Grether’s Pastilles are then packed in their air-permeable packaging, enabling them to breath and mature further to be ready for sale.