Halloween Candy Prices Skyrocket; M&M’s Unveil New Flavor

Shopping for Halloween candy might be scarier than any haunted house you visit this year. Trust me. I already loaded up and I'm not going back for more. According to the most recent inflation report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, treat buyers will be paying 13.1 percent more than last year. The New York Post reports that it's the largest yearly jump in candy prices the service has ever recorded.

Experts say the price bump is being driven by major increases in the costs of sugar and flour. However, the higher prices aren’t expected to keep families from loading up on candy this Halloween. Americans are expected to spend about 3.1 billion dollars on sweets this season. No one wants to be THAT house in the neighborhood.

In other candy news, M&M’s are celebrating the arrival of its Purple “spokescandy” character with the release of a new flavor. According to Chew Boom, M&M’s Caramel Cold Brew will hit stores in February, hopefully in time for Valentine's Day. The new flavor features a combination of smooth, robust coffee flavor and sweet, chewy caramel, covered in classic M&M’s milk chocolate and wrapped in a colorful, candy shell. M&M’s Caramel Cold Brew will also feature Purple’s “on-pack” debut.

I'll admit it. Halloween has never been my favorite holiday. I'm more of a Thanksgiving and Christmas kind of guy. But I'm also not stupid. I know that handing out crap to trick-or-treaters is asking for trouble. I don't want to wash broken eggs off my front door on November 1st. That's why I'm very intentional in my candy purchasing.

According to the National Confectioners Association, 97% of Americans plan to hand out chocolate or candy to trick-or-treaters on Halloween this year. So what is it that kids really want? Study Finds went to the “experts” to find out, collecting data from ten websites on which candies are the most highly rated. It really all comes down to five.

It depends on the flavor, with most people loving the Pink and hating the Orange. I like them all.

The experts prefer the original flavor and say the "fun size" is perfect for Halloween. But who's going to say no to the full size?

Considered by the experts to be one of the best fruit-flavored candies. First sour, then sweet, with “perfect texture: palatable chewiness, but they won’t get stuck in your teeth."

The experts say the combo of cookies, chocolate, and caramel is “everything one could possibly want in one candy.” I can't argue with that.

No surprise here. The Los Angeles Times proclaims them to be “the candy that truly exemplifies the holiday.” The experts insist the mini cups are the perfect size.