Candy

The importer of a Valentine's Day lollipop said it was voluntarily recalling the treats after metal fragments were found in at least two lollipops sold at central Florida stores. Sherwood Brands of Maryland, which imports the candy from China, said it was recalling all of its Pokemon Valentine Cards and Pops, which have been pulled from the shelves of thousands of stores across the country. About 20 lollipops were seized at Kathleen Elementary School in Lakeland.

After months of turmoil, chocolate maker Hershey Co. is pinning its hopes on Bliss. Bliss, a new premium chocolate candy, will be more closely watched than most product launches, as investors look for signs that the largest U.S. chocolate maker can recapture market share lost to rivals such as Mars Inc. "It's key for their future in that much of the growth in the chocolate category now is in premium and Hershey really lacks a presence in that category," said Morningstar Inc.

AH, the colors of spring -- bright red, blazing yellow and vivid green; deep purple, brilliant blue, pink dashed with scarlet -- all scattered around in little semi-orbs, like the eggs of impossibly brilliant birds. This is the season of the jelly bean. And it's getting baroque in bean land. Forget plain lemon and cherry. You can get assortments in as many as 50 flavors -- including margarita -- or you can order a single flavor (say French vanilla) by the pound.

The Food and Drug Administration and state health authorities warned consumers Friday not to eat any flavors of White Rabbit candy imported from China because they may be contaminated with the chemical melamine. The California Department of Public Health specifically identified White Rabbit candies imported and distributed by Queensway Foods Co. of Burlingame, Calif. Queensway is voluntarily recalling the chewy sweets after state testing detected melamine in some pieces.

GRAFFITI BARS, chocolate-coated confections wrapped in street cool art, will sport signature works by legends of New York's 1970s "graff-scene": Blade, Crachee, Crash, Crime 79, the late Dondi, Dr. Revolt, Iz the Wiz, Lady Pink, Spar One and Voice of the Ghetto (Stay High 149) "We said, 'Hey, want to make a candy wrapper?' " said Alison Nelson, owner of the Chocolate Bar, a New York boutique candy store. The artists approached went along, though many of them -- including Crachee, a.k.a.

Hershey Co., the largest U.S. candy maker, increased prices for the first time in two years to counter rising costs for corn syrup and packaging. The Hershey, Pa.-based company also said it was paying more for fuel, utilities and transportation. The company raised prices on Twizzlers, Reese's and its namesake chocolate bars 4% to 5%, effective immediately. The increase affects about one-third of its products, the company said.

The California Department of Public Health warned consumers Friday not to eat a certain type of candy imported from Mexico because it contains "high levels of lead" that could cause health problems, particularly in pregnant women and young children. The warning pertains to De La Rosa Pulparindo candy, a tamarind-flavored sweet. It is packaged in bright red 10-ounce boxes containing individually wrapped pieces of about half an ounce each.

Is a pretzel a treat? Snyder's of Hanover would like you to think so. It's promoting pretzels as candy stand-ins for people who want to protect the teeth and waistlines of this year's crop of trick-or-treaters. "Pretzels are the original better-for-you snack," said Michael Brookhart, director of marketing for Snyder's, which is selling Halloween Snack Sacks, 36 little packs of bite-size pretzels in a bag decorated with a jack-o'-lantern.

Dress up your kids like Dracula or Frankenstein, and most likely they'll look more cute than scary. Let them eat too much candy, and they'll turn into real little monsters. That's the word, at least, from many parents who fear their trick-or-treaters' sweets success this Halloween will end in wild "sugar highs" -- with energy going through the roof -- followed by moody "sugar crashes" -- with that energy suddenly dropping through the floor.

Haunted by the fear of sugar highs at your house? Some experts share their favorite tricks on how to handle Halloween treats: * "We used to tell our [own] kids, 'This is your week for candy.' Things we really liked, we ate, and we threw the rest out. "If children eat too much candy, they'll probably have an upset stomach. Then they may decide they don't want that much candy all the time. "Having fewer rules is a lot better.