Shoppers buying Halloween treats are facing another increase in candy costs, even as global cocoa supplies recover. The latest federal figures show that candy and gum prices climbed 7.7% over the past year and more than 18% over two years. Both increases outpaced average food inflation over the same periods, making the holiday's most popular purchase more expensive.
Chocolate is a major contributor to those increases. Drought and heavy rainfall in cocoa-growing areas, including West Africa, damaged harvests in recent seasons and drove up prices around the world. Production is recovering, and a global surplus of cocoa beans earlier this year helped bring prices down from recent peaks. But that improvement has not yet translated into relief for shoppers preparing for Halloween this weekend.
David Branch, sector manager at the Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute, said the cocoa used in chocolate candy currently on store shelves was bought in 2025, when prices were high. The time between purchasing ingredients, manufacturing products and selling them helps explain why consumer chocolate prices remain elevated despite lower cocoa costs.
Other expenses are also putting pressure on manufacturers. Branch pointed to higher sugar prices, increased fuel costs linked to the war in Iran and U.S. tariffs that make imported goods more expensive. Together with the production lag, those costs are keeping chocolate prices from following cocoa prices downward.
For Enna Grazier, owner of the New Hampshire small-batch business Enna Chocolate, the pressures include a 50% tariff on some holiday packaging and ingredients she had intended to buy from Canadian suppliers. Grazier said she has needed to find alternatives or rethink packaging. The changes have disrupted existing plans and made it harder to prepare far in advance for the holiday season.
Some candy companies have broadened their offerings in recent years with more gummy and sour sweets, along with seasonal products that avoid pricier chocolate. Examples include KitKat's marshmallow-flavored Witch's Brew and Reese's White Ghosts, which have a white creme coating. Chocolate still attracts buyers, but Circana data tracking U.S. supermarket purchases show that shoppers have bought smaller quantities even as chocolate candy sales have increased for several consecutive years.
Higher prices are not expected to prevent consumers from celebrating. The National Retail Federation forecasts Halloween spending of $13.5 billion this year, a record and a 3% increase from last year. Estimated spending per person is $115, up 55 cents.
