Hershey Co.’s study on candy consumption in the United States revealed that Utah is the sweet tooth capital of America.
According to bloomberg.com, the company’s researchers found that Utah not only consumes the most candy, but the consumption rate is almost double the United States average. The study also revealed that Twizzlers seem to be the candy of choice for many Utahans, especially in the Salt Lake City area.
BYU marketing professor, Glenn Christensen states that he believes Utah might lead the sweet tooth board due to the state’s main religion: Mormonism. Christensen explains that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints avoid certain substances, but that sweets can be found at every family or church gathering.
We don’t drink alcohol, we don’t smoke, we avoid coffee—but we certainly do sugar. It’s the only allowed indulgence.
Christensen says another possible explanation for the high sweet consumption could be the number of children in the state. Bloomberg.com reports that 31 percent of Utah’s residents were under 18 during a 2013 study. The national average was 23 percent.
