Halloween candy will look different this year. Here's what's in store

BY Reuters3 minute read Trick-or-treaters hoping to collect handfuls of chocolate candy this Halloween might be facing a bit of a letdown. U.S.

confectionery companies are stocking store shelves with fewer Halloween chocolates and doubling down instead on cheaper gummies and licorice such as Mondelez's Sour Patch Kids and Hershey's Twizzlers ghosts, according to market research firm Circana. Prices on sugary non-chocolate sweets—though still cheaper than chocolate—are also up double digits, according to Circana. The shift to gummies, licorice and flavored crèmes comes as chocolate makers face shrinking margins and slowing sales.



Consumers have been curbing their cravings for costly chocolate, and the candy companies have faced a double-whammy on their own costs for the treat, first from supply chain snarls during the COVID pandemic and now from a cocoa bean shortage. Subscribe to the Compass Newsletter. Fast Company's trending stories delivered to you daily Privacy Policy | Fast Company Newsletters "Chocolate candy, there's just not as many items per retailer on shelf," said Dan Sadler, principal of client insights at Circana, who focuses on confection.

"We're seeing double-digit increases in non-chocolate items." Candy companies took a similar approach for Easter, unveiling new products lighter on cocoa. But for Reese's cup maker Hershey, a top U.

S. chocolate maker, the sales results were disappointing, with the company's category for the spring holiday declining, executives told investors on conference calls. They pegged it on an earlier Easter and a shorter selling season.

A spokesperson for Oreo maker Mondelez said that...

Reuters.