At home, at the theater, as a snack or a dessert, the peppermint candy Junior Mints has become a favorite all over the world. For more than 50 years, the rattle of the candy box has been heard in the hands of kids and adults alike. Today, more than 15 million Junior Mint candies are produced daily and shipped out all over the world.

Junior Mints are manufactured by Tootsie Roll Industries and first made their appearance in 1949, when they were named after the popular Broadway show Junior Miss. The original candy was and still remains a cool peppermint inside covered by a hard shell of dark chocolate.

Tootsie Roll Industries remains committed to health living. Many of the Tootsie Roll products remain under 100 calories per serving and are either low-fat or fat free. All products are gluten-free, peanut-free and nut-product free. While corn and soy are used in Tootsie Roll products, none of the products include wheat, barley, rye, oats, triticale, spelt or any of their components, either as ingredients or as part of the manufacturing process. And Tootsie Roll Industries does have four kosher certified products: Tootsie Rolls, Tootsie Fruit Rolls, Frooties, and DOTS.

As listed on the nutrition label, Junior Mints contain: sugar, semi-sweet chocolate, corn syrup, confectioner's glaze, modified food starch, peppermint oil, the enzyme invertase, the protein soya albumin and gelatin. The semi-sweet chocolate is made of sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, the emulsifier soya lecithin and the artificial flavor vanillin. The manufacturer warns that milk and egg may be present.

A serving of junior mints is 40 g. Each serving has 170 calories, 3 g total fat or 5 percent recommended daily value, 2.5 g saturated fat or 13 percent DV, 30 mg of sodium or 1 percent DV, 35 g of carbohydrates or 12 percent DV, 1 g of dietary fiber or 4 percent DV, 32 g of sugars, and 1 g of protein or 2 percent DV.

Junior Mints are not a significant source of vitamin A or C or calcium. As per the nutrition label they contain zero percent of the recommended daily values. They do however contain 8 percent of the DV of iron. The percent daily values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, which may be higher or lower depending on your gender, activity level and needs.