Overview
- Candy prices are 10.8% higher than last year for the Halloween season, according to a Groundwork Collaborative analysis of NielsenIQ data.
- Chocolate’s share of Halloween candy fell to 44% in the 12 weeks ending Oct. 5 from 52% a year earlier, Circana’s Dan Sadler reported.
- Chocolate Halloween candy averaged $8.02 per pound versus $5.77 for non-chocolate in the same period, widening the cost gap for shoppers.
- Companies are shrinking packages, reducing cocoa content, and pushing non-chocolate offerings; reported price increases include Hershey variety packs (+22%), Mars variety packs (+12%), Reese’s cups (+8%), and a Mondelez gummy variety pack (+9.4%).
- Poor harvests in Ghana and Ivory Coast sent cocoa futures up 61% in 2023 and 178% in 2024, and although prices have fallen this year, costs remain elevated due to purchasing lags and other inputs such as energy, packaging, and tariffs.