Does candy expire? How long Halloween candy lasts, by type

How long candy lasts, by type

These are the NCA's storage times for candy kept the way it recommends: covered or airtight, in a cool, dry place away from heat and light. The NCA doesn't say whether its clock starts when the candy is made or when you buy it, so treat these as outer limits and let the best-by date on each bag come first.

Hershey's own guidance is shorter and counts from a different starting point: “Most confectionery products are at their best flavor for one year after manufacture. Ingredients such as nuts will shorten the shelf life.” Some of that year has passed by the time a bag reaches your house. That is why the date printed on the bag is a better guide than any chart, and why candy with nuts should be eaten first.

What USDA's FoodKeeper says

USDA's FoodKeeper data, the source for most of this site's shelf life chart, has no candy category. It does list three related foods. Its times count from the day you buy the food, not from the printed date.

What the date on a candy bag means

No federal rule requires a date on candy. USDA says that, except for infant formula, product dating is not required by federal regulation, and it defines a best-by date as one that tells you when a product will be at its best flavor or quality: “It is not a purchase or safety date.” Read more on best-by dates.

Candy dates are often a month and year only, like the stamps above. Hershey, for example, says its products carry “an ink stamped ‘BB’ or ‘Best By’ date code” that “represents the month and year until which the product is expected to be within its peak freshness.” Read a month-and-year date as running to the end of that month. A short form like BEST BY 06/27 almost always means June 2027, not June 27; the guide to two-number dates explains why.

Other characters printed nearby, such as a lot number or a time, are production codes, not a second date. Hershey explains only its BB date, and we don't guess at lot codes a maker hasn't explained. See how to tell a date from a code, or paste what you see into the expiration date decoder.

Fun-size pieces may not carry their own date. If the small wrappers are blank, look on the outer bag, and note the date before you throw the bag away. If you can't find it at all, where to look for the date covers bags, boxes and wrappers.

Sorting the Halloween haul? Scan the date on each big bag before you tip it into a bowl. FreshScan reads a month-and-year date like BB JUN 2027, saves it as the end of that month and marks it “end of month”. It doesn't know how long candy lasts; it tracks the date the maker printed and reminds you before it arrives.

Free on theApp Store

White film on chocolate: bloom, stale or moldy?

A dull, white or tan film on chocolate is the most common reason people think their candy has gone bad. It is usually bloom, and Hershey describes two kinds:

• Fat bloom (cocoa butter bloom). Cocoa butter is sensitive to heat and humidity, and chocolate starts to melt above 75°F. When it does, “the cocoa butter can rise to the surface and form a discoloration.” Think of a bar that went soft in a warm car or a pillowcase and then set again.
• Sugar bloom. “Condensation on milk or semi-sweet chocolate may cause the sugar to dissolve and rise to the surface.” This happens when cold chocolate comes out of the fridge into warmer, humid air.

Hershey says chocolate that has bloomed “is certainly safe to use, but flavor loss and texture changes may be noticed.” So a bloomed bar is a quality problem, not a reason to throw it away.

When to throw candy out

• Damaged or tampered wrappers. FDA's Halloween advice is to check commercially wrapped treats for “unusual appearance or discoloration, tiny pinholes, or tears in wrappers” and to “throw away anything that looks suspicious.” FDA also tells parents that children shouldn't eat anything from trick-or-treating that isn't commercially wrapped.
• Mold. USDA's advice for moldy food: if food is covered with mold, discard it, and don't sniff the moldy item, because that can cause respiratory trouble. Check the candy it was stored with.
• Pantry pests. Pantry moths infest chocolate and candy as well as cereal, flour and nuts. The National Pesticide Information Center lists webbing, droppings and holes poked in plastic bags as signs. Throw out infested items and clean the shelf with soap and water.
• An off or rancid smell, or a texture that's clearly wrong when you open a piece. That is quality, not safety, but stale candy isn't worth eating.

How to store leftover candy

• Keep it cool, dry and covered. The NCA recommends airtight containers in a pantry, away from heat and light. Hershey stores solid chocolate “well wrapped” in a cool, dry place at 55–60°F, which is cooler than most kitchens, so pick a low cupboard away from the oven and sunny windows.
• Skip the fridge for chocolate. Hershey says refrigerated chocolate is safe but doesn't recommend it, because chocolate kept in the refrigerator may “sweat” when it warms up, which leads to sugar bloom.
• Keep moisture away from chewy candy. The NCA says taffy, caramels and nougat should be protected from dampness and wrapped individually.
• Freeze selectively. The NCA says toffee and truffles can be frozen for up to 2 months, and advises against freezing candy that contains fruit or nuts.
• Use a sealed jar or tin, not an open bowl or a folded bag. It keeps out humidity and pantry moths, which can poke holes in plastic bags.
• Eat in order. Candy with nuts first, then opened gummies and candy corn, then milk and white chocolate. Dark chocolate and hard candy keep longest.

For other pantry foods, the shelf life chart has USDA times, and the food expiration calculator turns a purchase date into a use-by day. If the leftover pile is bigger every year, reducing food waste at home starts with buying a bag or two less.

Questions people ask