Candy Manufacturers NAICS 311340, 311351, 311352

Sep 30, 2025 - Halloween Candy Spending to Rise

• Spending on candy this Halloween is expected to total $3.9 billion, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual consumer survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. That’s up from $3.6 billion in 2024. While inflation-wary consumers are bracing for high candy prices and are visiting discount stores to save money, two-thirds said they still expect to hand out candy. Candy makers are competing for consumers’ dollars. In August, Hershey rolled out its lineup of seasonal treats for Halloween, with new items including Twizzler Ghosts and Hershey’s Nuggets Pumpkin Spice Latte. In May, rival Mars released its “Halfway to Halloween” campaign by unveiling its 2025 holiday candy lineup alongside the second annual Mars Tricks, Treats and Trends report. Americans’ favorite candies are Reese’s Cups, followed by M&M’s, Hot Tamales, and Skittles.
• Major chocolate brands are responding to record high cocoa costs by hiking prices, according to candy distributor Redstone Foods. Hershey and Cadbury parent Mondelez have already begun raising retail prices and shrinking their package sizes – a practice known as “shrinkflation.” Also, some major brands are exploring ingredient substitutions, such as replacing cocoa butter with less expensive oils or experimenting with carob as a cacao alternative. Rising input costs and tariffs are squeezing margins for chocolatiers. In February, Hershey forecast lower-than-expected 2025 profit on higher cocoa prices. Rival Mondelez has also forecast a bigger-than-estimated drop in its annual profit, as it anticipates more pressure from surging cocoa prices.

• SNAP benefits could no longer be used to purchase candy and soda if Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr has his way, Fortune reports. The secretaries of HHS and the USDA have signaled their support for stripping such treats from SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for low-income families. RFK Jr. has likened additives and dyes used to make some candies as “poison” and wants them out of the nation’s food supply. However, excluding candy from SNAP would require Congress to change the federal Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, which says SNAP benefits can be used for “any food or food product intended for human consumption,” except alcohol, tobacco and hot foods. Fortune reports that bills are pending in Congress – including the Healthy SNAP Act introduced in February – and in several states to restrict SNAP benefits from paying for candy, soda, and the like.
• Producer prices for chocolate and confectionery manufacturers rose 15.4% in August compared to a year ago, after spiking 22% in the previous August-versus-August annual comparison, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Industry producer prices are at record high levels driven by rising input costs – notably cocoa for chocolate confections. Employment by chocolate and confectionery manufacturers shrank 10.4% year over year in July, while the average wage at food manufacturers rose 2.3% over the same period to a new high of $24.11 per hour, BLS data show. Candy manufacturers are trimming payrolls as wages and input costs reach new highs. In the second quarter, after-tax profits for food companies plummeted 119% compared to a year ago and 119.3% from Q1, according to the Census Bureau.