Your Favorite Candy May Have Bug Secretions In It (But There's No Need To Panic)

The next time you're eating shiny candy, look at the ingredients list. You might see "confectioner's glaze." Also known as "shellac" or "beetlejuice," confectioner's glaze is not powdered sugar like the name might lead you to assume — it's actually from bugs so small you have to squint to see them. 

In Southeast Asia – predominately India, though other countries produce the resinous glaze as well – tiny insects called Kerria lacca suck the sap out of trees. The female lac bugs then create a protective nest by secreting an amber-colored resin that hardens in the air. Once a tree is covered in these hard cocoons, the resin is harvested, produced, and sold. Yes, the concept of eating bug secretions is gross, but it's an all-natural, non-toxic, FDA-approved product with myriad uses — so there's no need to be alarmed.

Shellac has been around for more than 3,000 years, and was used as castle adornments and jewelry. Today, it's common in wood varnish and mascara. For food, the lac resin is mixed with alcohol and sprayed on fruits to protect them and prolong freshness. More notably, it's used to give candy its shine and extend its shelf life. Whoppers, Raisinets, jelly beans, Junior Mints and more wouldn't be what they are without the lac bug, though none are the 10 most unhinged candies you can actually buy.

Shellac is edible, effective, and ancient, but it's still not guaranteed to be bug-free — which is a problem for vegetarians and vegans. Additionally, an alternative must be found since shellac is mixed with alcohol, increasing the risk of fires and and giving off vapors that lead to respiratory problems for workers. 

While chocolatiers are looking at ways to take bug-based varnish off of candy, none of them have been successful. Like it does for the lac bugs on the branches, confectioners glaze acts as a shiny, protective barrier. It prevents candy from tasting off by protecting it from moisture and oxygen. Any bug-free alternative must fulfill those purposes. A few studies have proposed the use of hydrolyzed collagen, cocoa butter, or whey to create candy films and chocolate coatings, but they all have detriments. One of those reasons? The colors aren't as vibrant. So for now, shellac sticks.

At least lac bugs aren't parasites, unlike the controversial bug-derived ingredient you'll find in Nerds Gummy Clusters. (And if bug grub is your thing, here's how to eat cicadas like a true forager.)