Retailers are stocking Halloween and seasonal candies that feature less chocolate and more flavored creams, fruit-filled centers, and spice-coated exteriors. Global cocoa-bean supply has dwindled and prices have risen, increasing chocolate production costs and incentivizing lower-chocolate formulations. Novelty and nostalgia are driving consumer preferences, with Gen Z and Millennials seeking taste mash-ups, unexpected textures, and experiential flavors; 1990s sweets and childhood flavors like PB&J are resurging. Mass-market chocolate already often includes add-ins, and adding or changing inclusions creates a sense of innovation rather than overt cost-cutting. Dessert-inspired product lines emphasize playfulness over frugality.
"My first thought upon seeing the Halloween-candy display at my local CVS last week was: Ooh, new treats! Then a second thought barged in: These new treats seemed awfully light on the chocolate. The Hershey's Nuggets contained a pumpkin-spice-latte cream. The M&M's were filled with, from what I could tell, berry-flavored peanut butter. And the Ghost Toast Kit Kats were covered not in chocolate, but in a fawn-colored cinnamon coating."
"This group seeks out taste mash-ups, unexpected textures, and flavor "experiences," Carly Schildhaus, the communications director of the National Confectioners Association, an industry group, told me. Nostalgia is trending too: Sweets from the 1990s, such as Gushers and Nerds, are having a moment, as are childhood flavors such as PB&J. Plus, even before the cocoa crisis, plenty of mass-market chocolate candies contained add-ins. Mixing in more, or different ones, gives the impression of innovation, not cost cutting."
Read at The Atlantic
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