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YOU could almost hear a collective sigh of relief when White Rabbit Creamy Candy, that milky Chinese New Year staple, was declared safe for consumption.
Two weeks ago, reports said the made-in-China product was suspected of containing formaldehyde - a chemical used in embalming bodies - but it has since received the all-clear from the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority.
It was good news to fans like undergraduate Noella Lim, 19, who has been eating the chewy candy since she was four.
'They're super creamy, and I love tearing out that thin rice paper and pasting it on my tongue,' she says.
Indeed, while Singaporeans are constantly bombarded by new snacks and candy in the market, decades-old products are still hitting the spot.
Mr Tyrone Teng, director of Hock Lam, a distributor of White Rabbit, Hacks, Lobster Peanut Crisps and Haw Flakes products across South-east Asia, says these nostalgic sweets are still quite popular.
'They're familiar to consumers and they are easily recognisable by their packaging,' he says.
Located in Hong Lim Complex in Upper Cross Street, Hock Lam has sold these brands since 1957.
A quick check by LifeStyle revealed that at least three more shops sell goodies such as peanut cakes in Hong Kong Street and Arab Street.
Sweets such as Hacks and Hudson's are also widely available in major supermarkets like NTUC Fairprice and Giant Hypermart, as well as provision stores. Peanut crisps and peanut cakes, however, are harder to find.
Nostalgia is the main draw for the babyboomer generation.
Says hairstylist Fiona Wong, 48: 'These sweets bring back such fond memories of my childhood. I remember arguing with my siblings over who got to eat the blackcurrant-flavoured Roundtree Fruit Pastille and eating peanut cake between two slices of bread.'
Marketing manager Lim Teck Yan, 51, adds: 'Hacks is something I've been eating since I was really young.'
Undergraduate Leong Su Zhen, 19, says: 'These older sweets are cheaper than Ricola but just as satisfying.'
Looks like the old sweets are here to stay.
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