Doug’s Dime: Halloween #Candy Inflation

Rising costs of confectionaries are causing a Halloween pinch, with candy prices up 15 percent in 2026, rising at a rate of four times inflation. Roughly 65 percent of ingredient costs in the candy industry come from the cost of cocoa beans, sugar and corn syrup, and all of those are having supply chain problems, hiked prices and import issues. If there’s a saving grace here, it’s the invisible hand of the market. Sure, candy’s expensive, and surveys found that people are reportedly buying less of it and buying cheaper stuff, but the good news is, thanks to the skyrocketing inflation seen in cartel-priced eggs and heavily-tariffed toilet paper, the vandalism that such cheapskate candy behavior on Halloween might provoke has been priced out as well. Sarah Zimmerman, Food Dive