Why Halloween Candy Could Be More Expensive This Year
Halloween isn't complete without buckets of sweets. However, a sugar scarcity may force Americans to pay more for their favorite Halloween treats.
This week, The Wall Street Journal reported that sugar shortages are raising confectionery company prices and affecting output. Candy
makers blame an agriculture policy that requires at least 85% of US sugar purchases to come from domestic processors for the sugar
scarcity. They believe sugar supplies get stressed and prices rise when demand is high, while sugar growers and processors deny that agricultural policy caused
According to the USDA, Midwestern refined beet sugar prices rose to 62 cents per pound and raw sugar cane prices rose to 42.56 cents
the highest since January 2011. The USDA forecasts sugar supply to dip 2.3% next crop year, WSJ said.
Kirk Vashaw, president of Ohio-based Spangler Candy, told the publication that a decline in sugar from suppliers has made it difficult
to keep up with production in the previous year. They had to deny sweets orders they couldn't complete and produced 50 million fewer candy canes last year.
Atkinson Candy Company in Texas, like Spangler, has difficulties getting enough sugar to meet orders. Before locating a Colombian sugar
supplier, company president Eric Atkinson told The Wall Street Journal that they nearly ran out.