Trick-or-treaters can expect to see a trend this Halloween This might scare some people: fewer chocolate candies in their bags than in past years.

A shortage of cocoa beans over the past year has sent prices of the key chocolate ingredient soaring, leading confectionery companies and consumers to turn to non-chocolate treats.

A family purchases Halloween candy at a Walmart supercenter on October 16, 2024 in Austin, Texas. Partly due to a shortage of cocoa beans, Halloween candy prices are up this year, with chocolate prices up 7.5%. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images/Getty Images)

U.S. candy companies are stocking their store shelves with fewer Halloween chocolates and are instead doubling down on cheaper gummies and licorice, like Mondelez’s Sour Patch Kids and Hershey’s Twizzlers, according to the firm. Circana market research.

“From candy to chocolate, there just aren’t as many items per retailer on the shelf,” said Dan Sadler, head of customer insights at Circana, which focuses on confectionery. “We are seeing a double-digit increase in non-chocolate products.”

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Cocoa prices are up 88% from last year, according to data from Trending Economics, after hitting a record high in the spring following a double whammy. extreme weather conditions and disease-hit cocoa plants in West Africa’s top-producing region signaled supply shortages could continue.

A global shortage of raw cocoa beans, caused by low crop yields in West Africa, has caused the price of cocoa to skyrocket over the past year. (Photographer: Cyril Marcilhacy/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Nidhi Jain, commodities specialist at procurement intelligence firm The Smart Cube, said RENARD Company The dramatic increase is driven by concerns over tightening cocoa supplies, particularly in Ivory Coast and Ghana, which together produce around 60% of the world’s cocoa.

CouponFollow’s Clay Cary told FOX Business that chocolate candies have always been more expensive than their non-chocolate counterparts, but this year the company’s data found that chocolate candies cost on average 62% more than regular ones. other sweets.

“While it’s common for chocolates to be more expensive, the latest cost surge has further widened that difference compared to other candies not made from chocolate,” Cary said. “Anyone looking to buy chocolates this Halloween should prepare themselves, as high cocoa costs aren’t going away anytime soon.”

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In more bad news for candy lovers, Jain says sugar prices are expected to rise through the rest of 2024, due to supply disruptions in major producing countries like Brazil and India, combined with seasonal growth of demand.

Prices for non-chocolate sweet treats — while still cheaper than chocolate — have also increased by double digits this year, according to Circana.

Candy lovers can expect to see fewer chocolate treats this Halloween after the high price of chocolate sparked a shift toward non-chocolate candy. (Jeenah Moon/Getty Images/Getty Images)

There is not only less chocolate candy for Halloween in store, but it’s also more expensive. Prices for seasonal chocolate candies have increased as much as 7.5% from last year, Sadler said.

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But high prices haven’t stopped consumers from stocking up on treats this year. S&P Global expects spending on Halloween candy to increase 3.5% in 2024 to a record $4.1 billion.

Reuters contributed to this report.