U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for June 18

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Jun 18, 2015, 12:01 ET

WASHINGTON, June 18, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

SUGAR RUSH

Profile America — Thursday, June 18th. Among the assorted observances in June is one that will be welcomed by a great part of the U.S. population — especially youngsters. It's National Candy Month, although Americans consume about 22 pounds of candy year-round, much of it chocolate. There are about 1,200 firms in the U.S. making chocolate and cocoa products worth $14.5 billion a year. Another 420 locations make nonchocolate confections selling for $8 billion. Together, there are over 56,000 Americans employed in manufacturing sweets and treats. Beyond grocery and drugstores, there are nearly 3,200 specialty shops across the nation selling nuts and candy confections. Nearly 7 million tons of sugar, sweeteners and candy are imported annually to satisfy America's sweet tooth. Profile America is in its 19^th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sources:
Candy Month: http://holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/june.htm
Candy consumption: http://www.lifeintheusa.com/food/chocolate.htm
Manufacturers of chocolate and cocoa products/NAICS 311340, 311351 & 311352:
http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ECN_2012_US_31I1&prodType=table
Candy stores/NAIC 445292: http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk
Sugar, sweetener and candy imports (metric tons):
http://www.ers.usda.gov/datafiles/US_Food_Imports/__Value_of_US_food_imports_by_food_group/sweets2_1_.xls

Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotions of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).

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SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau