Halloween might not be so chocolatey this year

You might see more candy corn and caramels than chocolate bars this Halloween, thanks to what NPR calls “frighteningly high” cocoa prices that have been rising all year. Poor crops for several seasons in West Africa, where the majority of the world’s cocoa originates, have forced chocolate makers to raise prices. According to Producer price indexthe cost of making chocolate and confectionery using cocoa increased by 45% from January to September.

Meanwhile, dollar sales of chocolate candies rose 1.5% over the past year, according to the National Confectioners Association — but the number of chocolate candy units sold during the same period fell nearly 5%. “Chocolate candy, there just aren’t that many items per retailer on the shelf,” says Circana’s Dan Sadler Reuters. “We’re seeing double-digit increases in non-chocolate items.”

CNN admits that candy manufacturers are therefore “getting creative” this Halloween, including reducing the size of candy bars or moving away from chocolate altogether. The chocolate giant Hershey, for example, has made its debut Jolly Rancher Ropes and Shaq-a-Licious gummiesnamed after the basketball star. Candymaker Mars says it is similarly introducing more non-chocolate offerings. Experts expect cocoa prices to remain high until at least next September, when improved weather conditions in Africa will hopefully begin to restore cocoa crops. (Half of the year’s most popular candy brands contain chocolate.)