Posted on 10/27/2011 3:12:30 PM PDT by smokingfrog
When the people who make Necco Wafers changed their recipe to use natural flavors and colors in 2009, they thought they were doing their customers a favor. But then those customers told the New England Confectionery Company — loudly, and repeatedly — that they preferred artificially enhanced candy.
"Our normal mail volume probably went up twenty-fold" after the change, says Necco Vice President of Research and Quality Jeff Green says. "Some positive, and some negative. But a lot of negative."
The common theme from Necco's longtime customers, Green tells NPR's Michele Norris, was, "You ruined my product, I will never buy anything from you again."
"Ouch," Norris says.
"Yes, ouch," Green says.
And so the company is going back to what it does best: making candy with artificial dyes and good old-fashioned sugar
As Green describes it, customers weren't as upset with the candies' taste as they were with their new color. Instead of artificial dyes and colorings, the revamped Necco wafer used natural colorings made from turmeric , red beets, purple cabbage, and cocoa powder. The company also replaced the artificial flavors in some of the wafers with natural flavors.
"The flavors, I thought, were very close, if not identical," says Green. "I mean, considering that four of the flavors, we didn't touch. So, the colors influence people's perception of what things taste like."
(Excerpt) Read more at npr.org ...
Maybe they can make back the money they lost by charging $8.00 extra for unlimited streaming Necco wafers.
Companies should heed the experience of New Coke.
people actually eat those things?
I don’t think I’ve had a Necco wafer in at least 2 years but I love them. Just don’t see them that often around here. Time to go on a search, the Wookie be da**ed.
I have had the things in my life, and in my opinion they are nasty. But if I ever need to hold open a traincar window, I will know what to do!
Bring back Classic Chalk.
I think I found the source of the discontent...
(My mother loves red beet soup, aka borscht. I can't stand the stuff.
Never could, probably never will. Unless, of course, the bamster
reduces us to foraging for root vegetables, and eating beets will
beat eating bark every time.)
Absolutely my favorite candy as a kid..we used to call them nickel wafers...because they cost 5 cents a roll. They lasted a long time...which was a great selling point for me...a roll of nickel wafers could last all day and sometimes even into the next. Loved the green ones the best.
Maybe a few months from now when I can be sure the “healthy” ones aren't on the shelf I'll try them again.
I once bought a car on the basis where you can slide a pack of Necco wafers on the dashboard. My friend had a 1985 Ford LTD, the small one, where it had a groove on the dashboard. I had to tie my shoe so I put the pack in the groove. He took a hard turn and they slide all the way towards him and down to the floor of the car and we had a good laugh. When I bought a small LTD, it was a 1986 model, much like his but mine was more basic, but it had that groove. We used to play “Necco games” where we tried to slide it without having it drop to the floor. It was a blast. B-) I miss that car for other reasons. It had rear wheel drive but I’ve beaten 4x4’s climbing up over hills with snow and ice and many times, I can plow through snow over 12 inches deep and still move. Wish I had that car back again.
Eco-Neccos?
Yes, I remember them as a kid, too.
Now, the chalky candy is way too similar to eating fruit flavored Tums.
The perfect wafer to play Holy Communion!! We Catholics just ate this stuff up.
I tell you what, I was one of those who complained about their new “flavors”. They are NASTY....like Mexican candy. yuck.
I hope they DO bring back the original classic “chalk” flavors. I liked them.
Green was always my favorite, as well. The white and pink ones come fairly close. The black ones are gross.
Neccos were one of my favorite candies when I was a kid. I loved candy cigarettes, too. Then there were the wax lips... Candy is a lot like cartoons, I guess. The more imaginative, flavorful ones seem to have all been made decades ago. I’m glad Necco is going back to their traditional recipes.
I knew they still sell them, I have to confess I thought they stopped making them in 1972.
I kid!
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