Don't Mess With My Neccos

I'm not happy about this:

The iconic Necco Wafer is going au naturale.

The revamped product is now using red beet juice, purple cabbage, cocoa powder, paprika and turmeric to replace the artificial ingredients that had been flavoring and coloring the wafers for years.

But not every wafer made the cut.

Of the eight original Necco wafers, lime did not get through the makeover. While the lime flavor could be created with natural ingredients, the color green itself was too hard to duplicate, so it was scrapped. However, it may return once the color code is cracked, according to brand manager, Aimee Scott.

So there are now seven flavors and colors: chocolate, lemon, orange, clove, wintergreen, cinnamon and licorice. The chocolate wafer, however, now comes in four varieties: dark, milk, mocha and white.

"The flavor is actually a little bit stronger in the new ones because they are all natural," Jackie Hague, Necco's vice president for marketing, told Slashfood. "And when you look at them, they're pastel and not as bright as they used to be."

So if longtime Necco eaters can get past the change in color, Hague thinks they won't be disappointed in the quality of taste.

Neccos are one of my favorite candies, and my favorite flavor? Lime. I actually look at the packages and buy the ones with the most lime ones in it, and how they've dumped the lime flavor.

Heretics. Don't they know these are the world's perfect candy?

I'm going to have to hit some stores and try and buy up the old ones before they're all gone.

And I'll hoard the lime ones.