Don’t miss my letter to the editor in The Washington Post on Halloween candy preferences. Due to the limited space, the original letter I submitted was shortened, but I’m sharing it in its entirety here. On this momentous occasion for our industry, chocolate and candy reign supreme at Halloween. Happy Halloween!
I read with intrigue your recent article about Halloween chocolate and candy. While the information about input costs for chocolate manufacturers and cocoa pricing isn’t inaccurate, the author of the story missed the larger point related to consumer demographics, attitudes, and behaviors.
The 2023 Halloween season accounted for $6.4 billion in confectionery retail sales, and this year we are projecting that number to climb by three to five percent. This is a significant share of the $48 billion that the confectionery industry generates annually – of that amount, more than half of sales are from chocolate. Said another way, chocolate and candy reign supreme at Halloween.
It’s true, consumers are making room in their budgets for their favorite chocolate and candy, despite increased food costs. According to our recent survey, 94% of all Americans are planning to take part in enjoying, sharing, or gifting chocolate and candy during Halloween. And our research also uncovered a deeper level to this broad-based engagement during the Halloween season by consumers of all age demographics that was unfortunately missed in your article:
- 90% of Boomers say they are stocked up and ready to hand out chocolate and candy.
- 99% of Gen Xers say that chocolate and candy are #1 in terms of what they’ll hand out to trick-or-treaters.
- Millennials are sharing the joy of the season with their children and will be running through the neighborhood with their own trick-or-treaters – more than any other generation.
- Gen Z is more likely than any other generation to get a head start on enjoying Halloween chocolate and candy before October 31.
Just because different age demographics have different tastes and approaches to Halloween doesn’t mean that chocolate is going out of style. Chocolate and candy are timeless; they play an important and central role in the Halloween season; and they are a part of the fabric of our culture. So, with a younger demographic being more drawn to gummy and chewy candy, let’s consider it a win for moms and dads who have their eye on the chocolate.
