...
By Hugh Cameron
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Soaring chocolate prices are expected to make a significant dent in Americans’ Halloween budgets this year.
According to a recent survey by financial services firm Empower, 57 percent of Americans say chocolate prices are making them reconsider how much candy to dish out this Halloween. More than a third (35 percent) said candy has grown more expensive in 2025, rising to 46 percent among Boomers.
Why It Matters
While recent improvements in the global cocoa supply chains have eased some pressures, chocolate is expected to be far more expensive for American households this year. Total Halloween spending is still projected to hit record levels, but consumers will feel the rising price of chocolate, one of several goods—both seasonal and staple—that have pressured household budgets this year.
Read More on U.S.
What To Know
Empower surveyed 2,000 American adults in mid-September, more than half whom (52 percent) said they would be cutting back on Halloween spending this year as a result of higher prices. While 19 percent intend to spend less on candy, the average household still expects to spend $296 this Halloween, including $58 on candy, $56 on children’s costumes, and $46 on adult costumes.
CBS News, citing a number of online sales trackers, reports that the average bag of "fun-size" chocolate bars will cost households around $5 more this year compared to last Halloween, while a 48-count box of full-size bars has risen to around $50 from $40 in 2024.
...
As well as wider inflationary pressures, chocolate prices have been rising amid a global crisis in cocoa supplies. Cocoa prices have rocketed in recent years due to a worldwide supply shortage stemming from a confluence of adverse weather conditions and disease outbreaks in West Africa, where much of the world's cocoa is grown.
In July, Hershey’s announced that it would be raising prices by a "lower double-digit" percentage to cope with the "unprecedented" costs of cocoa.
What People Are Saying
Rebecca Rickert, head of communications and consumer insights at Empower: "Some consumers may be ghosting chocolate this Halloween as prices creep higher. Trick-or-treat spending offers a peek into how pricing pressures are shifting budgets and filtering into the smallest traditions."
John Lash, group vice president of product strategy of supply chain platform e2open, told ConsumerAffairs: "Late last year, cocoa prices peaked at almost $13,000 per metric ton. While they’ve recovered to the $7,000 levels of this time last year, long-term contracts mean that input costs for chocolate remain high. Looming on the horizon are more dark clouds, with threatened double-digit tariffs on U.S. imports from cocoa-producing nations."
"To keep prices for Halloween candy more or less the same this year, expect to see some shrinkflation in individual candy size and the number of pieces in the bag," he added. "For homeowners, a bag may not go as far, so you might need to pick up one more."
What Happens Next?
Cocoa prices have eased in recent weeks, due to improved crop prospects and increased supply from West Africa. According to financial data and analytics website Barchart.com, New York cocoa futures fell to an 11-month low on Tuesday.
According to a National Retail Federation Survey conducted in early September, total Halloween spending is expected to reach a record $13.1 billion this year, with per-person spending projected to rise to $114.45 from $103.63 in 2024.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines