In what many are calling a clear victory over the forces of insensitivity, Kraft Foods has announced that it will stop production of the fruit-flavored Trolli Road Kill Gummi Candy. These oblong pieces of dental destroying junk, each with the image of an flattened animal, complete with tread marks across it pressed into one side, were popular with kids. The candy comes in three versions - snakes, chickens and squirrels, but no possums, which suggests that they weren’t taking the southern market very seriously. Unfortunately for Kraft, they offended a group of animal rights activists in New Jersey, who felt that the candy encouraged children to be cruel to animals.

The New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has been given the job of enforcing the state’s animal cruelty laws, and apparently they take the job seriously. Realizing what a serious danger this candy was to the children of the state, they contacted Kraft and threatened them with a petition drive, boycotts and letter writing campaigns. Kraft, probably figuring that the sales from this product weren’t worth the harassment and aggravation they might have to put up with, stopped production of the candy.

Some might imply from this that the people of New Jersey are a bunch of overly sensitive weenies, but that is not the case. As someone born and raised in the Garden State, let me assure you that sensitivity is not high on the list of survival skills one learns at an early age there. A state whose motto is “Only the strong survive” is unlikely to produce a population that gets squeamish at the sight of dead bodies lying around, animal or otherwise.

It is unlikely that a piece of candy would turn a kid from that, or any other state, into a sadistic homicidal maniac. Just about anyone who has experience with kids knows that they are weird little things. They are curious about and fascinated by things that adults find disgusting. They like dinosaurs and are thrilled at the thought of a T-Rex ripping the head of some veggi-sauris. They step on caterpillars to see them squish, and pull the wings and legs off insects. They eat mud. Then most of them grow up to become normal, responsible adults, and the rest end up in prison.

Recently a hospital went to great lengths to put on an interactive class and demonstration for children on the topic of ‘how the human body works’. After putting on a fascinating presentation about the way the body functions, the doctors asked the kids if they had any questions. They did, with most of them concerning excretions. “Where does snot come from?” and “What are boogers made of?” were two questions a lot of the kids wanted answered. All in all, the day was a success. The kids got answers to their questions, and the doctors remembered why they went into medicine instead of teaching.

Gummy candy comes in many delightful shapes that appeal to kids. Among the shapes available are tarantula, dinosaurs, crocodiles, sidewinder snakes, snails, octopus, worms, turtle, whale, dolphin, lobster and frog. Human body parts are also popular, including brains, really big brains, eyeballs, and a personal favorite – stinky feet. But dead squirrels are no longer available.

There are enough real issues for those concerned with animal welfare to stay busy with for a long time. Children’s candy seems like a matter that can be left for a time when all of the world’s problems have been solved.