Trick-or-Treaters May See Fewer Chocolate Bars

Those who haven't bought their stock of Halloween candy this year should prepare to shell out more than usual. Rising cocoa prices in particular have translated into an 8% uptick in the Consumer Price Index for candy and gum, reports Axios, citing data from Wells Fargo, Empower, and the National Confectioners Association. And it's items made from cocoa seeing the biggest spike. A post at KSST has some specific examples:

• A 48-count box of full-size chocolate bars that sold for about $40 last year costs more than $50 this year. Bags of "fun-size" chocolate bars are up about $5 from last year.

"Candy on shelves now was made from cocoa bought at record prices earlier this year," says David Branch of the Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute. Improved weather and new crops are starting to bolster supply, but it will take a while for that to trickle down onto store shelves. The sticker shock is real: 57% of Americans say rising costs are changing their Halloween candy plans in some fashion, according to Empower's "Trick-or-Treat-onomics" survey. Still, 94% of consumers say they'll still hand out treats.