[{"id":285115449386,"handle":"1800s","updated_at":"2025-04-29T20:21:03-04:00","published_at":"2024-09-19T11:36:25-04:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"depict","published_scope":"web","title":"1800s","body_html":"\u003ch5\u003eThe Industrial Revolution brought a tidal wave of change in sweets.\u003c\/h5\u003e\r\nThe 1800s saw the growth and demolition of enslavement with its close connection to sugar cane; the introduction of new sugars promoted by abolitionist; and the massive shifts in foods due to the Industrial Revolution, including the candy we know today.","image":{"created_at":"2024-09-19T11:38:25-04:00","alt":null,"width":1735,"height":2048,"src":"\/\/truetreatscandy.com\/cdn\/shop\/collections\/Untitled-design-2024-02-07T163445-582_e10ae7ea-2a45-4424-8199-cfe5833ac1db.jpg?v=1726760305"}},{"id":285115482154,"handle":"1900s","updated_at":"2025-04-29T19:30:19-04:00","published_at":"2024-09-19T11:36:27-04:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"published_scope":"web","title":"1900s","body_html":"\u003ch5\u003eThe rise of candy we know today - from Candy Bars to Sponge Candy.\u003c\/h5\u003e\r\nThe 20th century launched an unprecedented age of candy made for kids, sent to soldiers at war, and reflecting everything from Prohibition to the Cold War. The colors were bright, the scent alluring, and the flavors out of this world.","image":{"created_at":"2024-09-19T11:38:27-04:00","alt":null,"width":2048,"height":2017,"src":"\/\/truetreatscandy.com\/cdn\/shop\/collections\/Untitled-design-2023-04-19T123907.127-1_473a8e56-fd45-41fa-8de7-d821f1aae1d9.jpg?v=1726760308"}},{"id":291189227562,"handle":"all-candy","updated_at":"2025-04-29T19:30:19-04:00","published_at":"2025-01-30T08:34:32-05:00","sort_order":"best-selling","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"global","title":"ALL CANDY","body_html":""},{"id":286636113962,"handle":"christmas-delights","updated_at":"2025-04-29T15:40:27-04:00","published_at":"2024-10-31T13:15:22-04:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"global","title":"Christmas Delights","body_html":"","image":{"created_at":"2024-10-31T13:15:19-04:00","alt":null,"width":1170,"height":1055,"src":"\/\/truetreatscandy.com\/cdn\/shop\/collections\/IMG_9211.jpg?v=1730394921"}},{"id":285115613226,"handle":"gift-boxes","updated_at":"2025-04-29T19:30:19-04:00","published_at":"2024-09-19T11:36:37-04:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"web","title":"Exclusive Gifts","body_html":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUnique Gifts - ONLY AVAILABLE at True Treats! From pre-history – today! Plus stories and period illustrations on TT packaging!\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","image":{"created_at":"2024-09-19T11:38:38-04:00","alt":null,"width":1170,"height":1088,"src":"\/\/truetreatscandy.com\/cdn\/shop\/collections\/Untitled-design-2023-02-14T103111.798-1_3f4318d0-87ab-4be1-87c1-5077c58d4c6e.jpg?v=1726760319"}},{"id":285115711530,"handle":"military-candy","updated_at":"2025-04-29T15:40:27-04:00","published_at":"2024-09-19T11:36:45-04:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"published_scope":"web","title":"Military Candy","body_html":null,"image":{"created_at":"2024-09-19T11:38:46-04:00","alt":null,"width":2048,"height":1176,"src":"\/\/truetreatscandy.com\/cdn\/shop\/collections\/Untitled-design-2024-05-10T143934.187-1_155d54f1-edee-4b6c-a262-8d76e3cd3acf.jpg?v=1726760327"}},{"id":285116039210,"handle":"only-at-true-treats","updated_at":"2025-04-29T19:30:19-04:00","published_at":"2024-09-19T11:37:04-04:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"published_scope":"web","title":"Only At True Treats","body_html":null,"image":{"created_at":"2024-09-19T11:39:07-04:00","alt":null,"width":2259,"height":2112,"src":"\/\/truetreatscandy.com\/cdn\/shop\/collections\/IMG_2267-scaled-e1657311617531_769562dd-003d-414e-be10-0757e094f8a1.jpg?v=1726760347"}},{"id":290043822122,"handle":"quick-order","title":"Quick Order","updated_at":"2025-04-29T19:30:19-04:00","body_html":null,"published_at":"2025-01-03T14:49:08-05:00","sort_order":"best-selling","template_suffix":"quick","disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"variant_price","relation":"greater_than","condition":"0"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":285115973674,"handle":"summer-fun","updated_at":"2025-04-29T17:10:20-04:00","published_at":"2024-09-19T11:37:01-04:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"published_scope":"web","title":"Summer Fun","body_html":null,"image":{"created_at":"2024-09-19T11:39:04-04:00","alt":null,"width":1535,"height":2048,"src":"\/\/truetreatscandy.com\/cdn\/shop\/collections\/Untitled-design-2022-10-20T161422.127_c8f9810d-e5bc-4118-8c5a-4346ad6ec935.jpg?v=1726760344"}}]
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AS SEEN ON - Jeopardy!, History Channel, PBS, Atlas Obscura, New York Times, NPR, Ologies, WBUR, Delish, Food Network Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Huff Post, CNN, Tasting Table, Gastro Obscura, Voice of America, Daily Mail UK, Oxford University Press, Pittsburg Post, Southern Living...
While the military was fighting in World War I and World War II, sugars and sweets were with them… but not for the reasons most people think. Enjoy this historic candy collection of soldiers rations spanning the two great wars of the 20th century. Candies sent by family, provided by the government, purchased from traders, and foraged or found.
Hard Candies – Literally a Lifesaver!
The government sent tons of sour balls and Charms hard candies to troops which helped quench their thirst and stave off hunger. Malted milk balls – sent in tablets without their now familiar chocolate coating – were considered nourishing. Chewing gum served numerous purposes – it cleaned the teeth, protected against thirst, and helped relieve stress and boredom.
Sugar, Dried Fruit… and Bugs?!
Dried fruit was durable, available, and rich in vitamin C. Cranberries were especially a favorite. Bugs, appeared in much of the food over time, whether on purpose as in some local diets or accidentally. Sugar, used as a medicine, preservative, fermenting agent, and ingredient the military literally needed to survive.
Chocolate is a Fighting Food!
Candy bars, considered nutritious and a source of fast energy, hit the market in 1912 and were added to the first rations in World War I. Tootsie Rolls also provided fast energy, and were a code word for ammunition. Favorites also came in packages from home, such as licorice pastels and chocolate covered almonds, raisins, and peanuts – also known as bridge mix.
World War Mess Kit Candy… brought to you by the nation’s ONLY researched-based historic candy company. Our founder, Susan Benjamin, is author of numerous articles, even a book on the subject (her tenth) on Smithsonian’s Best Books About Food. Everything you get from True Treats is the best possible, most delicious version of her scholarly research – and World War Mess Kit Candy is no exception. True Treats products are sold in museum gift stores across the county. Enjoyed in homes everywhere!
Product Details
Size: 12 different samples in a 5 15/16" x 1" x 7 3/4" box
Sour Balls(Sugar, Corn Syrup, Citric Acid, Artificial Flavors, Artificial Colors: FD&C Red #40, Yellow #5 and #6, Blue #1), coloring), Charms (Sugar, corn syrup, citric acid, artificial flavors, artificial colors (including FD&C Red 40, FD&C Blue 1), and turmeric coloring. Milk and soy may be present) Malted Milk Balls( Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Chocolate Liquor (Processed with Alkali), Milk, Nonfat Milk, Butterfat, Soy Lecithin, Salt, Natural Vanilla Flavor, Corn Syrup, Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil, Cocoa Powder, Whey Powder, Whey, Whey Protein Concentrate, Malted Barley, Wheat, Wheat Gluten, Sodium Bicarbonate, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Palm Kernel Oil, Cocoa, Water, Gum Arabic, Confectioners Glaze, Modified Tapioca Starch, Coconut Oil, Canola Oil, Malt Extract, Cocoa Mass, Mono and Diglycerides), Chewing Gum ( Dextrose,Corn Syrup(Glucose),Gum Base,Sugar,High Fructose Corn Syrup,Corn Starch,Artificial Flavor,Artificial Colors(FD&C Red 3,Red 40 Lake),BHT(To Maintain Freshness), Candy Bar(Corn Syrup , Sugar , Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil , Palm Kernel Oil , Palm Oil , Soybean Oil , Cottonseed Oil , Nonfat Dry Milk , Cocoa , Lactose , Milk Protein Concentrate , Egg Albumen , Artificial Flavor , Soya Lecithin , Soya Protein , Salt), Tootsie Rolls(Sugar, Corn Syrup, Palm Oil, Condensed Skim Milk, Cocoa, Whey, Soy Lecithin, Artificial and Natural Flavors), Licorice Pastels(Sugar, Wheat, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar, Modified Food Starch [Corn], Water, Glycerine, Licorice Extract, Palm Oil, Salt, Soy Mono- and Diglyceride, Anise, Potassium Sorbate, Yellow 5 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Red 3, Blue 2 Lake, Blue 1 Lake, Red 40 Lake, Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1, Titanium Dioxide, Artificial Flavor, Tapioca Dextrin, Carnauba Wax, Confectioners Glaze), Bridge Mix (Pure Milk Chocolate, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Milk, Cocoa Mass, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla, Confectioner\'s Glaze, Gum Arabic, Chocolate Liquor (processed with Alkali), Raisins (less than 1% Sunflower Oil), Dry Roasted Peanuts, Whole Dry Roasted Almonds), Sugar Cubes(Pure cane Sugar, Lifesavers (Stearic Acid, Sugar, Corn Syrup, Artificial Flavor Sorbitol)
Allergen Disclaimer: Please note that our products are made in a facility that processes peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, soy, and wheat. While we take precautions to prevent cross-contamination, we cannot guarantee that our products are allergen-free.
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Please allow 3-5 business days for processing new retail orders. Many of our products are hand-made and assembled, so some orders may experience some delays depending on availability. Most orders are shipped within 5 business days. If you have any questions or concerns about your order please reach out to us.
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100% Authentic Historic Candy The ONLY research-based historic candy company in the U.S., proudly offering genuine historical candies with the story of each
How Candy Fueled Soldiers in the World Wars
During World War I and II, candy was vital for soldiers, providing nourishment, morale, and even medicinal benefits. From chocolate-covered nuts to Lifesavers and Tootsie Rolls (a code for ammunition), sweets appeared in rations and care packages. K-Rations included sour balls to quench thirst, gum for stress relief, and malted milk for energy. Forrest Mars created M&M’s for troops, while sugar shortages led to molasses-based treats and peanut brittle. As war raged on and supplies ran thin, one question remained—how long could the sweetness last?
True Treats is the only historically accurate candy store in the world, bringing the past to life through researched sweets, teas, syrups, and more. Every product is rooted in history, telling the story of how people from all walks of life enjoyed treats through time. Leading this effort is Susan, a nationally recognized candy historian, researcher, and author who appears regularly on TV, radio, and in major publications. With over 40 years of experience, she has written ten books and founded True Treats to share the fascinating history of candy in a fun and delicious way. Susan’s work uncovers the surprising origins of America’s favorite sweets, from ancient uses of sugar to the candies of the 1900s. Through True Treats, Susan makes history an interactive experience, allowing customers to taste the past while learning the stories behind every bite.
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