Fact Check

Hidden Valley Ranch Unveils Candy Corn-Flavored Ranch Dressing?

And just in time for Halloween!

Published Sep 19, 2023

 (@ssgcav/X)
Image Via @ssgcav/X
Claim:
Condiment manufacturer Hidden Valley Ranch produced a limited edition candy corn-flavored ranch dressing.

There are certain food products we've been asked about at Snopes that — thank God — only exist in people's imaginations. Among those are Spam Oreos, Gerber Big Mac and Fries Baby Food, Garlic Coca-Cola, and Squeez Bacon, a "fully cooked 100% bacon paste that could be squeezed from a tube." 

The latest "no way that exists" food item query to hit our inbox concerned whether a packaged "candy corn-flavored ranch dressing" really exists. As we looked into it, we found that internet users had been chattering about the alleged product since at least September 2021. 

The claim certainly seems outlandish, but if we've learned nothing else as fact-checkers, it's that "outlandish" and "real" are not mutually exclusive. Take a similar-sounding product, Turkey Dinner Candy Corn, for example. It really exists — or, at least, did exist for a couple of years, when it was manufactured and sold by Brach's. Here's someone who actually took the trouble to review the product: 

Alas, this proved not to be the case with candy corn-flavored ranch dressing. We learned that the official Hidden Valley Ranch Twitter account had responded as follows to a query from a user in 2021:

The claim that candy corn-flavored ranch dressing exists is therefore false.

Sources

Evon, Dan. "Food For Naught." Snopes, 13 July 2015, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/mcdonalds-gerber-baby-food/.

Evon, Dan. "Spam Oreos? Another Fake Flavor Goes Viral." Snopes, 29 May 2015, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/spam-oreos/.

Kasprak, Alex. "Is 'Squeez Bacon' a Real Product?" Snopes, 2 Feb. 2021, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/squeez-bacon-liquid/.

Lee, Jessica. "Yes, 'Turkey Dinner Candy Corn' Is a Real Thing." Snopes, 25 Sept. 2021, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/turkey-dinner-candy-corn/.

Mikkelson, David. "Does Photo Show Garlic-Flavored Coca-Cola?" Snopes, 14 Feb. 2015, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/coca-cola-garlic/.

David Emery is a West Coast-based writer and editor with 25 years of experience fact-checking rumors, hoaxes, and contemporary legends.

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