The price of candy increased by 21% between October 2022 and October 2023, “well beyond food inflation”, found UFC-Que Choisir in a study published Wednesday.
“The range of sweets and other foods overconsumed on the occasion of Halloween (…) has seen its price literally soar in one year, well beyond food inflation,” indicated the consumer defense association. .
“Increases much higher than those in the food aisle”
Based on online price records, dated October 18, “in more than 6,500 large food stores offering a drive-thru service”, the UFC-Que Choisir found that candies have “increased by 21% in one year ”, much more than the “three other essentials of this evening” which are chips (+15%), chocolates (+12%) and sodas (+9%).
The UFC-Que Choisir noted in particular “increases well above those in the food section” among the flagship products of the confectioner Haribo, but also for Têtes brûlées from the Frenchman Verquin, and to a lesser extent the products of its competitors Chupa Chups , Carambar, M & M’s or Kinder.
Sugar prices at their highest
“Our sugar and starch costs have doubled, so it was necessary to raise prices. But we only spent two thirds of these additional costs, the rest being taken from Haribo’s profitability,” Virginie Le Roch, Haribo’s marketing manager, explained to UFC Que-Choisir.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warned in early October that sugar prices in the world reached their highest level in thirteen years in September, due to concerns about the impact of the phenomenon El Niño climate on crops in Thailand.
In 2022, the French had already spent the “record” figure of 112 million euros on candy for Halloween, underlined UFC-Que Choisir.