Healthier Halloween? Hershey expanding savory trick-or-treat snack line
Halloween candy: A brief history
Let's take a brief look at the history behind Halloween candy and how it became the sweetest day of the year.
Halloween trick-or-treating could look a little different this year as health-conscious consumers reshape the way Americans snack, prompting candy makers to expand beyond traditional sweets.
Hershey to offer savory snacks for Halloween
Big picture view:
For The Hershey Company, that means putting more salty, instead of sweet, snacks on the Halloween menu.
A child sorts through Mars Inc. and Hershey Co. brand Halloween candy beside a pumpkin themed treat bucket in an arranged photograph taken in Tiskilwa, Illinois, U.S., on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020. (Credit: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Ahead of October 31, the United States' largest chocolate maker has expanded its trick-or-treat offerings to include popcorn, cheese puffs and pretzels, according to Reuters. Its portfolio will include brands such as SkinnyPop, Pirate's Booty and Lesser Evil, giving shoppers alternatives to traditional chocolate and candy.
What they're saying:
"Certainly, the Lesser Evil brand and our salty snacks brands broadly, Skinny Pop and Pirate's Booty, having a greater presence in Halloween is in response to the (healthy eating) dynamic," Dan Mohnshine, Hershey's vice president for demand creation, strategy and innovation, told Reuters.
Shift driven by GLP-1 popularity, but chocolate is still king
Dig deeper:
The shift is being driven in part by the growing popularity of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs and a broader focus on healthier eating. Snack companies are responding with products that offer more protein, fewer calories and smaller portions — even as they continue to cater to consumers' appetite for indulgence.
"When it comes to GLP-1s, we've seen pretty strong resilience in the chocolate category here in the U.S.," Mohnshine continued.
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Despite the surge in GLP-1 popularity, Mohnshine noted chocolate is still the Halloween snack of choice.
Without giving precise figures, he said early-season sales of snack-size bags of chocolates and sweets have risen in double-digits versus a year ago.
Sugar-free products are also gaining ground. Hershey said sales in its Zero Sugar candy, mint and gum business increased roughly 4.3-fold between 2020 and 2025.
Americans spent $7.4 billion on Halloween treats in 2024, according to the National Confectioners Association, with Halloween-related purchases accounting for about 18% of all U.S. confectionery retail sales that year.
The Source: The information for this story was provided by Reuters. This story was reported from Los Angeles.