Halloween night promises no shortage of frights and chills, but for many Maritime households handing out candy this Friday, the cost of chocolate might be scariest thing they see. Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab’s annual Halloween Treat Cost report found Canadians are spending 10-to-20 per cent more on sweets this year compared to 2024. Sylvain Charlebois, director of the lab, attributed the uptick to “shrinkflation.” “Input costs have gone up which really forced manufactures to again ‘shrinkflate’ their products, in fact this year we are seeing prices of chocolate be 9-10 grams, which will cost you more at the till but because of the guilt factor, you want to please children people are seeing small pieces and giving more, because of the psychology behind trick or treating,” said Charlebois. “Chocolate bars have slimmed down, chip bags are lighter, and packaging costs have climbed,” Charlebois said in a Substack article. The report, which looked at roughly 5,000 price points from grocery and pharmacy flyers across Canada, found the average household will spend $25-to-$45 on treats for Halloween compared to $22-to-$37 in 2024. The report noted prices for mini chip bags, gummies and soft drinks have all gone up this year. The cost of mini chocolate bars in particular has increased by 15 per cent from 2024 to 2025. The report cited cocoa price shock, packaging and freight inflation, product downsizing and premium handouts as possible causes for the rising prices. “We are expecting prices to increase again next year, not necessarily because of input costs because coco prices are under control, sugar too. Packaging is likely to be a driver next year. It started to be a driver this year with more environmentally friendly packaging but next year it’s probably going to be a little bit more significant,” adds Charlebois.
