Trader Joe’s Has Candy Corn Popcorn and We Have Questions

Bridget Shirvell
Bridget Shirvell
Bridget is a freelance writer covering food, travel and sustainability. Her work has appeared in PureWow, Martha Stewart Living, and PBS NewsHour. When she isn’t working, Bridget and her husband are trying to tire out their dog with long walks.
updated May 1, 2019
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(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

Apple cider doughnuts, hard cider, pumpkin spice everything — the arrival of these beloved things at shops, cafes, and farmers market stands sweetly whisper fall is coming. Candy corn popcorn? Ahh … we’re not sure we’re ready to add that one to the list.

The fall-themed snack was recently spotted at a Trader Joe’s store in Elk Grove, California, by Instagram user @vegan_tinymomgram. It appears to be part of the grocery chain’s much-anticipated line of new fall products. We have so many questions.

Instagram user @TraderJoesList, a Trader Joe’s fan account, reposted @vegan_tinymomgram‘s photos and people quickly went nuts. The photos had more than 12,000 likes and nearly 2,000 comments within 24 hours with users commenting “I need this,” “Gosh that could be dangerous! I wouldn’t stop eating it,” and “Running to Trader Joe’s.”

But what is it exactly? It appears to be vegan, according @vegan_tinymomgram. And the packaging describes it as “crunchy kernels of popcorn in a sweet coating that tastes like candy corn.” What is that coating? What’s it made of? Could we buy the coating for other things? Would we even want to? And do we really need candy corn popcorn?

We’re all about popcorn. It’s the perfect snack: crunchy and delicious, with so many options from plain with a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt to movie-style butter to caramel. Candy corn, though? The waxy favorite of baby boomers pretended to be a treat, but didn’t everyone under the age of 40 cringe when it was given out during trick-or-treating instead of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups or even Sour Patch Kids? Are we not a little disturbed that an unopened bag of candy corn is basically good forever? Do we really need that flavor on popcorn?

We’ll pass.

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