When it comes to sweets, I want mine low-brow. Think ice cream, not gelato. White-sheet cake from the grocery store, never with fresh fruit. Candy is no different. I’m not interested in dark chocolate, hand-made macarons or anything close to gourmet. Little in life makes me happier than a handful of holiday candy. Jelly beans at Easter. Cinnamon hearts for Valentine’s Day. My favorite is a Halloween smorgasbord of the candy brands we grew up on.
So you can imagine my surprise when I started to notice the price tag. Halloween candy is 71% more expensive this year compared to 2021.
To put our candy in context, consider beef roasts: a.k.a. brisket, tenderloin and rib roast. Prices have shot up 74% since 2020. My Butterfinger is priced like brisket burnt ends.
My Butterfinger is priced like brisket burnt ends
Maybe you’ve already noticed? Apparently, 49% of consumers planned to start shopping for Halloween in September or earlier. Ha! I wasn’t one of them. I can’t trust myself to keep candy on-hand. If I do, it must remain sealed, or I’m doomed.
But the more interesting question is what’s driving this witch’s broom increase. Cocoa shortages, tariffs and higher labor and packaging costs. Let’s take a lick:
Cocoa Shortages: Cocoa hit record highs in 2024. Many candy brands purchase ingredients up to two years in advance, which means those higher prices are just now starting to impact us. Extreme weather in West Africa, which provides 60% of the world’s cocoa, resulted in smaller harvests, driving up the price.
Trump’s Tariffs: In July the Trump Administration imposed new tariffs. This included a 10% tariff on imports from the Ivory Coast, the world’s biggest cocoa supplier. We’re now paying higher prices because the tariffs are being passed on to consumers directly.
Higher Labor and Packaging Costs: Manufacturers are paying higher wages because there are fewer workers after Trump’s deportations. Energy costs are high, because of Trump’s war in Iran, so it costs more to make candy. The plastic wrappers also now cost more.
Think you’re immune? You’re not. An insane 96% of US shoppers buy Halloween candy, according to the National Retail Federation. We’ll spend $4.1 billion on our sweet treats.
So let’s figure out how much it costs to really stock up for a plentiful trick-or-treat.
Bulk packages offering 100 pieces of goodness are ringing up at $16.96, which is cheaper than anything I saw when I looked at Costco. Five years ago, the price was $9.91 – a difference of $7 a bag.
The really good neighborhoods are the ones where each house fills a 31-gallon trash can with treats – the old-school silver can with a lid. You need a minimum of 155 pounds of candy to give an appearance of full-ish. To really fill that bad boy, you’d need more than 200 pounds.
Me? I’ll be buying. Lots. I won’t fill a 31-gallon can, but I’ll take a few of the giant bags to the Rec Center. They hold an open house and invite older kids to help keep them out of trouble on Halloween.
In past years, I’ve tried collecting candy from neighbors to donate. But nobody ever ponied up enough. So I always had to cough up more to pack the pumpkin. Plus, I need candy for the house to snack on. I mean, for when families I know come around.
But I’m pleased to share that I refrained from buying Radio, my doodle dog, a Cookie Monster costume. But damn he would have looked cute.
When life stops making sense, we shop eat Halloween candy. More soon.
