Chocolate Prices Expected To Spike For Halloween, Holidays, New Year

CALIFORNIA — Chocolate lovers in California will likely have to pay more for their sweet treats this Halloween, through the holiday season and into the new year, according to reports.

Retail prices for chocolate could spike 30 percent or higher in 2025, Food Business News recently reported. Average unit prices for chocolate are already up over 40 percent from 2020, according to Reuters.

The 2023-24 world production forecast for cocoa as of Aug. 31 was at a 462,000-ton deficit compared with demand, Food Business News reported, noting a poor harvest in West Africa, home to nearly 70 percent of the global supply, was due to bad weather, aging trees, land loss and other factors.

American candy companies are stocking shelves with less chocolate products for Halloween, opting instead for cheaper gummies and other options, Reuters reported, adding non-chocolate candies aren’t exactly a bargain either, having increased in price by double digits.

California is home to several chocolate companies, including Ghirardelli Chocolate Co., See’s Candies Inc. and Guittard Chocolate Co.

Prices are up by as much as 7.5 percent year-over-year on seasonal chocolates, according to Reuters, with a 120-piece bag of Mars’ candy — Snickers, M&Ms, Milky Way and Twix — priced at $19.99 at Target.