Everyone loves sweets: 7 out of 10 Italians (68%) claim they nearly always have them with them, and 95% carry them at least occasionally. An even more shocking figure is that if they forget them, one in every two Italians (49%) quickly returns home to retrieve them or purchases new ones. This is the result of a poll conducted by the research and consultancy firm AstraRicerche for Unione Italiana Food, Europe's largest food trade organization, on Candy Day, February 11th. For more than half of respondents (55%), they represent the preferred food product to keep in a bag, surpassing chocolates (34%), dried fruit (28%), bars (28%), licorice (23%), and savory snacks (21%). On average, they consume almost 3 candies (2.7) every time they leave home: 56% eat 1–2, while 44% consume three or more. Candies are thus confirmed as the ultimate comfort food for Italians.