Despite soaring chocolate prices and inflation pressures, 2025 is expected to be a record year for candy sales in the United States, with about $3.9 billion spent on Halloween candy alone, according to the National Retail Federation.
So perhaps the most timely measure of the American psyche isn’t in a polling booth or a therapist’s office, but in the trick-or-treat bag.
“A lot of times what we get out of Halloween is a reflection of ourselves,” said Shannon Weiner, the senior director of consumer insights for the Ferrara Candy Company, which sells popular handouts like Nerds Gummy Clusters and Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers. “Candy has social currency for people.”
This year, Reese’s peanut butter cups dominate as the top Halloween candy choice, and gummies continue to climb in popularity, especially among the Generations Z and A. But new favorites are beginning to emerge.
We asked analysts who study food and retail trends, as well as the confectioners themselves, to peer into the collective candy haul and tell us what our choices might be saying about us.
Here’s what they see:
Flavor Maximalism
The post Boo! Startling Flavors and High Prices Lurk in the Trick-or-Treat Bag. appeared first on New York Times.
