Earlier this afternoon I stumbled upon Economy Candy, a candy store in New York City’s Lower East Side.

Although relatively small in size, the store offers an array of sweets, from ’70s classics to chocolate halva to Coldstone Creamery jelly candies.

In one corner, a colorful display of medium-sized “whirly pops” caught my eye.

They were you standard rainbow swirl lollipops (that swirl can be quite hypnotic!).

I grabbed one, turned it around, and could not believe the nutrition label.

The serving size for this single-serve three-ounce lollipop?  One-third of a piece!

Ridiculous!  It is times like these when the Food & Drug Administration’s serving reference amounts do the public no favors (per FDA labeling rules, one serving of candy is equal to one ounce, regardless of how the item is meant to be consumed.)

In 1994, the FDA no longer allowed manufacturers to determine serving sizes.  While uniformity among different brands and products was a smart move, the FDA claims their serving reference amounts “reflect the amounts people actually eat” (and drink).

I beg to differ, especially when it concerns items clearly sold — and meant to be consumed — as single-serve items (like three-ounce lollipops or 20-ounce bottles of soda).