Halloween may not be as chocolatey this year

This Halloween, you may see more candy corn and caramel candies than candy bars, thanks to what NPR called “shockingly high” cocoa prices, which have been rising all year. West Africa, where most of the world's cocoa is grown, has experienced several poor harvests, forcing chocolate makers to raise prices. According to the producer price index, the cost of producing chocolate and confectionery from cocoa increased by 45% from January to September.

According to the National Confectioners Association, dollar sales of chocolate candy rose 1.5% last year, but the number of chocolate candy sold fell nearly 5% over the same period. “When it comes to chocolate candy, there just aren’t that many items on the shelf per retailer,” Circana’s Dan Sadler told Reuters. “We are seeing double-digit growth in non-chocolate items.”

CNN admits that candy makers are “getting creative” this Halloween by, among other things, reducing the size of candy bars or eliminating chocolate altogether. Chocolate giant Hershey, for example, has launched Jolly Rancher Ropes and Shaq-a-Licious gummies named after the basketball star. Candymaker Mars announces that it is also introducing additional non-chocolate offerings. Experts expect cocoa prices to remain high at least until next September, when improved weather conditions in Africa will hopefully begin to restore the cocoa crop. (Half of this year's most popular candy brands contain chocolate.)