Here's a scary fact: You may be paying more for chocolate treats this Halloween due to a recent spike in cocoa prices.
And if you don't face higher prices, you may still end up paying more due to cut inflation, a tactic in which companies quietly reduce the weight of a product but not the price.
After examining online advertisements for Halloween candy in October 2024, CBC News found that two major candy makers, Mars Inc. and The Hershey Company, this year reduced the weight of several packages of Halloween candy bars by nearly 17 percent.
It may be difficult for shoppers to detect these changes as the variety packs contain the same number of candy bars this year as in 2024.
Both US companies said their products could change due to changing customer preferences. None of them provided specific examples.
Consumers and advocates are calling for more transparency about the practice of reducing packaging rather than raising prices, known as “shrinkflation.” Other countries force companies to display weight changes on product labels.
In other cases of heat shrink, companies have claimed that they have reduced the weight of the product by up to compensate for higher production costs.
“Companies are always looking for tricks and ways to maintain their profitability without necessarily changing or increasing the final price that the consumer sees,” said Jordan LeBel, a professor of food marketing at Concordia University in Montreal.
But as Canadians fight against rising food pricesThere is a growing call for food producers to be open about cutting production.
“It’s not entirely transparent,” said Sylvie De Bellefeuille, a lawyer for the consumer advocacy group Option Consommateurs. “At least knowing this [has happened]we will be able to make more informed decisions.”
Chocolate prices are rising
Cocoa prices have more than doubled over the past couple of years. according to the Associated Press.
LeBel says extreme weather conditions in West Africa world's leading cocoa suppliercaused crop failures.
He adds that many cocoa farms are small businesses, so they face challenges in economic recovery.
“Sometimes these farmers don't have the financial or economic sustainability to, for example, start over or replant, and that really impacts supply,” he said.
Prices for confectionery products – including chocolate — has increased by 10 per cent over the past year, according to Statistics Canada.
However, online Halloween advertisements posted in October 2024 And 2025 in Toronto, No Frills offered the same price—$8.99—for a “fun-sized” box of Mars containing 65 mini candies.
But if you look at the box more closely, there's a significant difference: the 2024 box weighs 782 grams, while the current box weighs just 672 grams—a 14 percent reduction.
After reviewing online 2024 advertisements for other “fun-sized” Mars packaging, CBC News found several instances of product weight reductions this year, including a 16.8% weight reduction for a 25-pack of candy bars.
Mars did not directly answer questions about why it reduced the weight of its products.
“Our goal is to continue to provide Canadians with greater value and variety while meeting growing consumer preferences and providing affordable options,” spokeswoman Tamar Nersessian said in an email.
She added that “offers may change from time to time.”
Analyzing advertisements placed by No Frills in North Bay, Ontario. in 2024 And in 2025 CBC News found that the weight of a 50-pack of mini candy bars for Hershey's Halloween chocolate bars dropped by 6.2%. However, the price did not fall.
CBC also found that 100-packs of mini Hershey candies were also down 3.8 percent.
In an email to CBC News, Hershey spokesman Todd Scott said the company periodically adjusts its candy offerings to match consumer preferences and that these changes “may impact weight.”
What can be done with shrink inflation?
A number of countries, including France And Brazilwill require manufacturers or supermarkets to warn customers when products decrease in weight or volume.
Consumer Advocate De Bellefeuille suggests that the Canadian government require food manufacturers to notify consumers on product packaging that such a change has been made.
“If they just want to sell [it] for the same price but less amount, at least announce it for a certain period of time so people are aware,” she said.
But LeBel says monitoring compliance with such a requirement can be difficult.
“How will you control this?” – he said. “What will be the penalties for those who do not comply with these new guidelines or rules?”
Last year, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) told CBC News it is funding several research projects into retail practices, including reducing inflation, which is harmful to Canadians.
CBC News requested an update Wednesday, but ISED did not respond in time for publication of this story.
