Trick-or-treaters can expect to see a trend this Halloween that might be scary to some: fewer chocolate candies in their bags than in years past.
A shortage of cocoa beans over the past year has sent prices for the key ingredient for chocolate soaring, leading candy companies and consumers alike to lean toward non-chocolate treats.
U.S. confectionery companies are stocking store shelves with fewer Halloween chocolates and doubling down instead on cheaper gummies and licorice such as…