Parents trust the candy aisle at their local grocery store.
But Florida just blew the lid on a toxic scandal the candy industry hoped would stay buried.
And Ron DeSantis just exposed one awful secret about your kids' candy that Big Food tried to hide.
Florida Finds Poison in 28 Popular Candy Brands
Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis dropped a bombshell Monday when they announced Florida found arsenic in 28 of 46 popular candy brands.
The testing came through the state's "Healthy Florida First" initiative and the results should terrify every parent in America.
Florida's Department of Health tested candy from 10 major manufacturers at independent certified labs.
Swedish Fish, Jolly Ranchers, Kit Kats, Twizzlers, Nerds, Sour Patch Kids and Tootsie Rolls all showed elevated arsenic levels that accumulate to dangerous amounts when kids eat them the way they actually do.
Casey DeSantis laid out the nightmare scenario parents are living without knowing it.
"Consuming more than eight pieces of Swedish Fish exceeds the estimated safe annual arsenic exposure level for a child," the First Lady explained at a press conference in The Villages.
https://twitter.com/CaseyDeSantis/status/2015833052983800062?s=20
A typical small bag contains 50 to 100 pieces and stopping at eight "does not reflect real-world consumption."
Nerds candy tested even worse.
The Department of Health determined kids could safely eat roughly 96 pieces of Nerds in an entire year.
But a small box contains about 2,000 pieces and those massive movie theater boxes? Try 8,000 Nerds.
Hershey's Milk Chocolate bars, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, M&M's, Whoppers, Twix and Milky Way came back clean.
Only two of 13 organic or "healthier" candy brands tested above safe arsenic levels.
That proves manufacturers can keep poison out of candy if they actually try.
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said the arsenic levels shocked him.
"The levels of arsenic in common candies are much higher — two, three, four times higher than even foods that we know have high levels of arsenic in general, like rice," Ladapo stated.
Long-term arsenic exposure hits kids especially hard because their developing organs can't metabolize and excrete toxins like adults.
The risks include developmental damage, weakened immune systems and increased cancer.
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/2015889141565636918?s=20
Big Candy Attacks Florida for Warning Parents
The National Confectioners Association came out swinging against DeSantis within hours.
The industry trade group called Florida's testing "misguided" and accused the state of using "scare tactics" instead of science.
"Florida has chosen sound bites over science — ignoring this science-based program in favor of publishing unsourced materials that amount to little more than a scare tactic," the NCA complained.
That response tells you everything you need to know about Big Candy's priorities.
They're not worried about the arsenic Florida found.
They're mad Florida told parents about it.
The candy lobby whined that Florida didn't use FDA's "scientific safety thresholds" but there's a reason for that.
The FDA has no limits for arsenic in most children's food.
The agency's only standard is a 100 parts per billion recommendation for lead in candy "likely to be consumed frequently by young children" that dates back to 2006.
That's it.
No arsenic limits. No mercury limits. No cadmium limits for candy.
The FDA's "Closer to Zero Initiative" that the candy industry points to as their defense? It's still "working on" arsenic action levels for children's food.
Translation: the FDA has been studying the problem while kids eat poison.
Florida didn't wait around for federal bureaucrats to finish their decades-long studies before warning parents.
This mirrors exactly what happened earlier this month when DeSantis announced Florida found heavy metals in 16 of 24 infant formula brands tested.
That testing showed mercury, arsenic, cadmium and lead in baby formula Americans feed their infants every day.
Florida is doing what the FDA refuses to do — actually test products marketed to children and tell parents the truth about what's in them.
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/2015831461794820189?s=20
Trump's Make America Healthy Again Movement Drives Action
DeSantis launched "Healthy Florida First" to align with President Trump's "Make America Healthy Again" agenda championed by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kennedy directed the FDA in March 2025 to launch "Operation Stork Speed" — a comprehensive review of infant formula ingredients including increased testing for heavy metals.
That marked the FDA's first deep look at formula ingredients since 1998.
Kennedy has made removing toxic chemicals from America's food supply a centerpiece of the Trump Administration's health policies.
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/2015797101251424646?s=20
Florida is leading the charge on the state level by doing the testing that federal agencies have ignored for decades.
Consumer Reports found concerning arsenic and lead levels in 41 infant formula samples last year but nothing changed at the federal level until Trump returned to the White House.
Congressional investigations in 2021 found baby food manufacturers knowingly sold products with alarming levels of toxic metals.
The industry got away with it because the FDA set no standards and did no testing.
That's finally changing under Trump and Kennedy's "Make America Healthy Again" push.
DeSantis is showing other Republican governors how to bypass federal inaction and protect families in their states right now.
"As parents and consumers, we should have confidence that the products sold in grocery stores are safe and free from poison," Casey DeSantis stated.
"No one should have to wonder whether the food that they are feeding their children is quietly impacting their health over time."
The candy industry wants parents to shut up and keep buying their products while the FDA drags its feet on safety standards.
https://twitter.com/CaseyDeSantis/status/2014761219790340213?s=20
Florida just told Big Candy and the federal bureaucrats to go pound sand.
Parents deserve transparency about what's in the food marketed to their children.
If manufacturers can make candy without arsenic — and Florida's testing proves they can — then every candy maker should be held to that standard.
The results of Florida's testing are available at ExposingFoodToxins.com for any parent who wants to know which candies tested clean and which ones didn't.
That's what real transparency looks like and it's driving the candy lobby absolutely crazy.
Sources:
- Gabrielle Russon, "Florida officials find elevated levels of arsenic in children's candy," Florida Politics, January 26, 2026.
- Michelle Vecerina, "DeSantis announces independent testing finds arsenic in common children's candies," Florida News, January 26, 2026.
- Michael Costeines, "Florida Department of Health Finds Elevated Levels of Arsenic in Candy Products," January 26, 2026.
- Florida Governor's Office, "ICYMI: FLORIDA RELEASES CANDY TESTING RESULTS UNDER HEALTHY FLORIDA FIRST INITIATIVE," January 26, 2026.
- National Confectioners Association statement, January 26, 2026.
