If it was a vacuum, maybe:
Why do Wint-O-Green Life Savers spark in the dark?
If I understand it correctly, electrons are emitted in either case. But, in the presence of air, the electrons collide with nitrogen molecules, which bleed off the resulting energy in the form of (mostly ultraviolet) light.
In a vacuum, there's no collision with nitrogen molecules. When the electrons hit the tape instead, they just slow down -- emitting the energy in the form of x-rays.
I guess it depends on what the electrons from the crushed candy hit, if in a vacuum, and what happens after the collision.