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Halloween is still months away but Hershey Foods says it is expecting candy shortages during the Halloween season, citing continuing pandemic-caused supply chain shortages and disruptions.
Also cited was the war in Ukraine putting a crimp on supplies of cocoa and other candy ingredients.
The candy maker has been devoting much of its current production effort to keeping the shelves full of non-holiday candies and treats right now.
But that effort may cause shortages of Halloween and even Christmas season favorites later in 2022.
Hershey Chairman and CEO Michele Buck says, "Seasonal consumer engagement is expected to remain high, and we expect high single digit sales growth for both our Halloween and Holiday seasons. Despite this strong growth, we will not be able to fully meet consumer demand due to capacity constraints.”
Meanwhile, Yahoo news reports that inflation has caused the price of a basic Hershey's chocolate bar to jump 17%.
Hershey hopes to have candy supplies back to normal in 2023.
Source: WFLA and Yahoo News