Your Favorite Chocolates Might Taste Different on Halloween This Year

There might be fewer chocolate bars in bags during the traditional Halloween door-to-door shopping this year, and their taste might be a little different.

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The cause of these changes? The price of cocoa has more than doubled since the start of the year and has remained at record levels since, according to Wells Fargo data obtained by CNN.

The price of this coveted product, essential to the manufacture of chocolate, is expected to remain high until September 2025, according to experts cited by the American media.

Faced with this prospect, several candy companies have decided to redouble their imagination to limit financial losses.

“Reduflation” and substitution

One of the first observations that consumers will be able to make is that the bars will be smaller or the bags, a little lighter.

“You get a two-pound bag of candy mix from a company. Well, that bag will probably be less than two pounds now for the same price,” said David Branch, sector director at the Wells Fargo Agrifood Institute, in an interview with CNN.

The other solution these companies could turn to would likely alter the taste of your favorite sweets.

Companies could choose to substitute less expensive products, such as waffles or nuts, for certain chocolate layers.

“There is [des produits] that could be filled with something in addition to being coated in chocolate because that way you don’t need as much chocolate to make that product,” Sally Lyons Wyatt, chief consultant, told CNN consumer packaged goods at Circana.

Candy giant Mars, which makes popular brands like Skittles and M&M, told CNN of another solution it has found.

Although the company notes that chocolate is still among consumers’ favorite sweets, it has chosen to expand its offering of jujubes and fruity candies, which are increasingly popular among young people.

For example, Mars decided to create Halloween-themed Skittles and put several bags on sale containing both chocolate and other non-chocolate products.