Scary Rise in U.S. Halloween Candy Prices
This all comes in a year where cocoa prices have actually fallen by more than half from their 2024 peak.
Halloween candy prices are up more than 15% year-over-year in the U.S., as inflation and global disruptions have driven up costs for supply chains.
According to an analysis from the Groundwork Collaborative and Century Foundation think tanks, candy prices are up across virtually every type. That includes an increase of 19% for chocolate products from Hershey and Ferrero, as well as a 39% bump for Mondelez's gummy offerings like Sour Patch Kids and Swedish Fish, a 22% increase for Hershey gummy and fruit products such as Jolly Ranchers and Twizzlers, and a 17.4% increase for Wrigley's fruit candies, including Skittles and Starburst.
This all comes in a year where cocoa prices have actually fallen by more than half from their 2024 peak, as historic drought conditions in West Africa — where more than two-thirds of the world's cocoa is grown — have abated, supplies have improved, and demand has weakened. However, consumers aren't likely to reap those savings this Halloween, given that many chocolate makers locked in higher cocoa prices months in advance, meaning that the recent decline has yet to fully reduce their production costs.
Groundwork Collaborative asserts that corporate profiteering could be playing a role as well, arguing that last year’s tariff exemption for cocoa, and lower wholesale prices for sugar (down 10% year-over-year) and corn syrup (down 4%) should have already helped bring down retail prices.
This story was originally published by SupplyChainBrain. Read the full story at SupplyChainBrain →
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