One of the challenges of living a natural lifestyle with children is to allow them the pleasures of childhood while maintaining green principles. Holiday candy is especially challenging, as children are drawn to the candy canes ubiquitously placed near checkout stands at stores. After searching far and wide on the Internet, I found a natural candy cane made by Pure Fun, a Canadian company. Actually, I am surprised more natural food companies haven’t jumped on the candy cane bandwagon.

Pure Fun was started by Luna Roth, inspired by her daughter. “What do you do when your persistent daughter tries to convert you to an organic and healthier lifestyle?” Pure Fun uses all natural, kosher, vegan, gluten-free, fair trade ingredients in all of their candies. Furthermore, their cane sugar is “green cut” by hand and the leftover stalks are used to fuel boilers and generate electricity on earth-friendly farms. Most of their products are organic. In fact, when I ordered our candy canes from the Allergy Grocer, I had ordered organic ones; however, what arrived was not organic, but “all natural.” Of course, my daughter wouldn’t let me return them, so we are enjoying them nonetheless.

Here are the ingredients of the all natural candy canes by Pure Fun:

• unrefined sugar
• glucose syrup
• natural flavor
• natural color
• water
• citric acid

Many online retailers are sold out of these candy canes; however, I have read that they are available at Whole Foods. Our local coop is not carrying them. Magic Cabin also offers Old-Fashioned Candy Canes, which we have tried in years past. They are rather large (9 inches), so I prefer the smaller canes for my children to enjoy.

Besides all the artificial colors and flavors in commercial candy canes, did you know that they contain titanium dioxide? Titanium dioxide is a naturally-occurring compound; however, it is a possible carcinogen. It is mostly a risk to factory workers, but why expose your children to anything that may be potentially harmful if you can help it?

I look forward to Pure Fun expanding their candy line and am thankful they are giving families natural alternatives to commercial candy. Hopefully more local retailers will begin to carry their products. One downside to the Pure Fun Natural Candy Canes is they are made in China “under the supervision of Pure Fun Confections Inc.” It is hard to escape the global manufacturing market of the present day.