NECCO's 'new' back-to-its-roots candy is a treat

NECCO Chocolate Wafers. 99 cents per 2-ounce roll.

Bonnie: NECCO has gone back to its famous wafer's 163-year-old roots by making the candy naturally flavored. At the same time, it expanded on the original chocolate flavor with a new chocolate variety roll containing Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate and Mocha-flavored discs.

The company replaced the artificial flavors and colors with ones from beets, cabbage and cocoa powder, to name a few. In addition, NECCO removed the high-fructose corn syrup — controversial because of health and political issues, which is why companies are beginning to remove it from their products.

I like that NECCO Wafers contain more natural ingredients than before and that they are still fat- and gluten-free. A large roll contains 210 all-sugar calories.

Carolyn: I long ago relegated pre-Civil War-era NECCO Wafers to both the country's and my own past.

I stopped eating them soon after I first had M&M's and realized that different-colored candy pieces could taste better than chalk. But the introduction of these new chocolate flavors, along with the reformation to all-natural, has given me an excuse to revisit NECCO Wafers, and I'm glad of it.

Among other things, I was impressed by the uniqueness and strength of many of the original flavors. The cinnamon, for instance, is as bracingly spicy as Cinnamon Altoids, and the clove is a retro candy treat. Kids on recession allowances and dieters will both appreciate how long a single variety roll of 40 wafers takes to eat: about 40 minutes, according to the company, not including the time you'll spend trying to guess the flavors if you're a NECCO Wafer rookie.

Identification is even harder with the new chocolate flavors, all but one of which are brown. Complicating the guessing game: All the NECCO Wafer rolls are variety packs, with many duplicates and no guarantee that every roll contains every flavor.

That's part of what makes this candy interesting and fun, and why I recommend you too give these another try.

Breyers Light Yogurt. Strawberry Banana Split, and Cinnamon Bun. 69 cents to $1.19 per 6-ounce cup.

Bonnie: I consume artificial sweeteners only to review products for this column. Consider these two new Breyers Light Yogurts as exhibits A and B as to why. The Cinnamon Bun was medicinal; the Strawberry Banana Split, only tolerable.

These are a good source of calcium and vitamin D, and a source of protein, riboflavin, B-6 and B-12, but so are nondiet yogurts without artificial sweeteners, which taste much better.