(MONEY Magazine) – Health fads come and go, but not the American sweet tooth. Over the past decade, in fact, Americans' per capita consumption of candy has risen from 17 to 20 pounds a year. Because of those steadily increasing sales, analysts recommend candymakers as defensive stocks. ''People will continue to buy candy, even in a recession, because each purchase costs such a small amount of money,'' says analyst Elliott Schlang at the Cleveland brokerage Prescott Ball & Turben. Chief among his picks is Tootsie Roll Industries (NYSE, $36.50), which has annual sales of $190 million. The Chicago company's products include such well-known goodies as Charms, Dots and Mason Crows as well as its popular Tootsie Rolls. Founded in 1896, the company is virtually debt-free. In addition, says Schlang, ''Tootsie Roll has one of the most consistent growth records around, with 13 straight years of increased sales and 10 straight years of higher earnings.'' He projects that profits will continue to grow 15% annually over the next five years. Because the company is not widely followed on Wall Street, Tootsie Roll stock trades at a moderate price/earnings ratio -- 13.8 times Schlang's estimate of profits for 1991. He thinks that the stock could rise at least 20% to the low $40s during the next 18 months. -- J.E.G.