Necco Wafers Are Back After a 2-Year Hiatus and They Taste Exactly the Same

Photo credit: Spangler Candy
Photo credit: Spangler Candy

From House Beautiful

There's a lot going on in the world right now, but candy fans thankfully got a bit of good news this week. Those colorful Necco Wafers you loved as a kid are heading back to store shelves this summer following a two-year hiatus, and they taste like nostalgia.

Sweetening the announcement, Spangler Candy, who acquired the Necco Wafers brand after the historic New England Confectionery Company closed back in 2018, has confirmed that both the formula and the packaging of the iconic candy remain unchanged.

"We kept the wax wrap around the roll exactly the same and used the same supplier and everything," Spangler Candy CEO Kirk Vashaw told TODAY in an exclusive interview.

All eight flavors and their corresponding colors are back: chocolate (brown), cinnamon (white), clove (light purple), lemon (yellow), licorice (dark grey), lime (green), orange (orange), and wintergreen (pink). However, one may taste slightly different after the cooking process was refined.

"Seven of the eight flavors were designed to identically match the originals," the company confirmed in its website: "True Necco Wafers connoisseurs may detect a richer cocoa flavor in the chocolate wafers due to a minor improvement made in the cooking process."

Vashaw said in the interview that he admired how the Necco brand was "woven in the fabric of our culture." First introduced in 1847, the candy was taken on an expedition to the South Pole and even sent overseas to troops during World War II. Now, they're serving up nostalgia all over again.

"Candy is a simple joy in life, and it's a simple reward," said Vashaw. "People want the same thing they remember as a kid. That's the beauty of candy—nostalgia."

Among the major retailers where you can get your hands on some wafers in the coming days are Big Lots, Dollar General, Kroger, Piggly Wiggly, and Wegmans. They're also available at drug stores CVS and Walgreens, as well as at the Cracker Barrel chain of restaurants. Click here for a complete list of retailers.

Follow House Beautiful on Instagram.

You Might Also Like