(Chuck Muth) – Halloween 2022 has now come and gone with a twist this year: Few scary, holiday-themed op-eds and press releases from Big Candy railing against the U.S. sugar program.
Halloween is usually a “don’t miss” opportunity for candy lobbyists in DC to push Congress for an end to targeted quotas and limited tariffs on imported sugar from foreign competitors that subsidize their home-grown sugar industries.
Not this year.
Gone were the horrific, scare-tactic warnings about the cost of sugar hurting consumers, bakers and manufacturers.
Instead, as reported by Jerry Hagstrom of the Hagstrom Report, “Halloween chocolate and candy sales hit $324 million, which is an 48% increase from 2020 and an 59.8% increase from 2019.”
“Chocolate and candy sales have come roaring back during the 2021 Halloween season as excitement continues to grow and consumers tell us they’re ready to celebrate,” National Confectioner’s Association President John Downs said in a news release.
Mr. Hagstrom also noted a Reuters report that “the strong sales led Hershey to raise its annual forecasts for sales and profit.”
With Thanksgiving up next on the holiday circuit, candy-makers should thank their lucky stars for the U.S. sugar policy, which not only assured ample supply of the sweetener for their products, but a reliable in-house supply chain that kept shelves full of treats for annual trick-or-treaters.
And let’s hope their new-found appreciation for America’s no-cost-to-taxpayers sugar program extends into this year’s upcoming candy-cane and ginger-bread man season.
Citizen Outreach is a free-market grassroots advocacy organization. For more information, please visit www.CitizenOutreach.org
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