According to a recent report by the National Confectioners Association, candy making fuels the economy to great effect. Industry leaders gathered at The Newseum with Members of Congress and the media to introduce new data proving the economic impact of the confectionary industry.

The #PowerofSweet campaign revealed that candy does much more for Americans than satisfying our sweet tooth. In fact, the industry directly employs 55,000 people in the United States, and more than 400,000 jobs in agriculture, retail, transportation and other industries rely in part on the sale of confections for their livelihood.

“This is an industry positioned for growth and opportunity, and we are creating American products with American workers in cities and towns throughout America,” John H. Downs, president & CEO of the National Confectioners Association, said.  “Our products represent honest, affordable, great tasting, fun, transparent treats.  Our 1:7 multiplier effect is a huge benefit to our economy – and that is the power of sweet.”

The $35 billion industry is represented by the National Confectioners Association. What’s even more impressive, is that the campaign is backed by Republicans and Democrats alike.

“I’m working on multiple pieces of bipartisan legislation aimed at bringing together business and education institutions to build help build a stronger workforce and create a better environment for job creation and growth.” – Senator Kelly Ayotte

After attending the event, our takeaway message was this: forget feeling guilty about enjoying candy, because each piece we enjoy is helping create jobs!