Why is Halloween candy so expensive?

Big Food needs to stay out of my pantry. If I want to snarf down an entire king size package of Twizzlers while watching My 600-lb Life, that’s between me and my colon. But what does king size even mean anymore? Someone decided it’s now only 80 twists instead of 94, and they’re telling me it’s for my own good. This is due to something economists have labeled “shrinkflation” – a necessity-based response by a market plagued by inflation that chooses to make a product smaller rather than raise prices. And I’m not the only one talking about it.

And have you noticed that Halloween candy is so much more expensive this year? Sure, sure – blame inflation, right? But how are these two phenomena happening simultaneously? CNBC reported that Halloween candy prices have increased in 10 states, citing the National Retail Federation’s approximation that the average American will invest $108.23 on the holiday, up from $102.71 in 2021. So what gives?

According to The Washington Post, we can chalk up the price hike to an increase in scarcity of cocoa, due to a change in weather patterns in West Africa – where reportedly 75 percent of the world’s cocoa beans are grown, in addition to a 12-year high in sugar prices, and increased costs of labor and packaging.

But another explanation for the decrease in size has far more esoteric origins. A spokesman for the National Confectioners Association claims the change in size is owed to a campaign launched five years ago by Mars Wrigley, Ferrero (owner of Nestlé’s American candy business), Ferrara Candy, and Lindt to decrease the caloric count of candy servings to less than 200 calories. How sweet of them.

At least Hershey introduced “thin” Reese’s cups, York patties, and Kit Kats — which I think is more transparent — and their zero-sugar Jolly Ranchers and Twizzlers (which, I’m sorry, I can’t get behind. That’s going to mean additives like Splenda, which is a neurotoxin and even worse for you than sugar, but still less sneaky than shrinking the product).

So, the point is, these massively profitable industries are shrinking the size of candy while raising the price, and telling us that it’s for the good of our health. And we sort of have to buy Halloween candy, right? I mean, I want to, and I definitely eat it, but as far as trick-or-treaters, what am I supposed to do? Turn off my porch light?

But wait, there’s more

What’s considered the “Halloween Season” is starting earlier and earlier. I know people love this time of year, and you start seeing those hilarious fall memes as early as the beginning of the year sometimes. We all know people who share those, people who just hate the warm weather, but have you ever questioned who actually starts those memes? It’s likely a concerted effort by Big Food to infiltrate social media to manipulate consumers into buying early and often. I’m not trying to go all conspiracy theory here, but it does seem a bit suspicious..

I’m just saying, the wider that window of time, the more candy they sell. And they’re fully aware of that fact.

“According to the National Confectioners Association, before the pandemic, Halloween was an 8-week season. Now it’s 10, even 12 weeks. That’s a whole extra month for every drugstore in the country to have overflowing shelves of candy.” –The Washington Post

They’re trying to recoup their losses. This goes all the way back to the pandemic. According to Sally Wyatt, a food and beverage expert for the market research firm IRI, food companies bared the brunt of shrinking candy sales during the Easter and Halloween seasons in 2020, as people were staying home and not socializing. So maybe we’re still paying for that.

So what’s the alternative? I wish I knew. My job is to the information on to you. But don’t take my word for it. YouTuber Kiana Docherty can explain it much better than me. She researches all of the shenanigans taking place in the food industry, and reports it in a digestible (sorry!) format. Her work is truly inspirational and I recommend you check it out if you have the stomach for it. (Sorry had to get one more in there.)