5 hours ago - Food and Drink
Louisiana's unexpected Halloween candy craving
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Reese's rules Halloween candy nationally, but in Louisiana, Sweet Smiles stands out.
The big picture: Sweet Smiles is a Dollar General brand with an assortment of treats, like hard candy, peppermints and gummies.
- It's popular here and in six other Southern states, according to new DoorDash data. The information doesn't say which specific Sweet Smiles items were popular.
- Reese's over-indexes in 17 states, and the peanut butter cups are the top candy nationally for the third year in a row.
- Laffy Taffy claims five states across the Midwest.
How it works: DoorDash analyzed purchases made on its platform in October 2025 to find which candies each state ordered at a higher rate than the rest of the country.
The intrigue: This is the first Halloween with dye-free M&Ms, Skittles and Starburst fruit chews in the mix.
- Mars launched versions made without artificial colors this summer, alongside Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s push to "Make America Healthy Again."
What we're watching: Chocolate still dominates Halloween candy orders overall, taking four of the top five spots nationally, DoorDash found.
- But sour and fruity candies are gaining ground — and old-school picks Circus Peanuts and Lemonheads are making a comeback, with orders last October at least three times higher than the year before.