Excited for Easter? Trump’s tariffs just might kill your vibe.
Thanks to Donald Trump‘s controversial tariffs, many kinds of candies you’d typically see in your Easter basket stand to be affected.
In one case, the owner of small business Economy Candy in New York warns that it appears most of the candy he sells could be affected in both price and availability.
“I think it’s gonna be another round of this hyperinflation on some items. If we’re putting tariffs everywhere, it is going to go up,” store owner Michael Cohen told Channel 3000 after noting that previous inflation-related prices had finally started settling down when news of the tariffs was announced.
The outlet reports candy and gum prices are already up 34 percent compared to five years ago, with the new tariffs threatening to make those prices skyrocket even further.
For stores such as Economy Candy, which stocks “exotic” items from around the globe, like Swedish chocolate and Japanese Kit Kats, the tariffs are a not-so-sweet, looming threat.
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Meanwhile, Swiss chocolatiers are feeling the same pressure.
According to AP News, Julie Jammes, the marketing manager for Swiss chocolate brand Canonica, which operates three stores in San Francisco, says that the tariffs are a “shock” to everyone.
“It is completely incomprehensible that Switzerland is targeted by these tariffs. [The U.S.] hits our businesses hard and represents a heavy burden that will weigh on exports to the United States,” Swiss chocolate industry association Chocosuisse told AP News.
easter chocolate candy
However, this doesn’t mean American-made candies are immune to the same threat.
Channel 3000 reports that Snickers, for example, makes their product in Texas but sources their chocolate from Ghana; sugar from Brazil; and packaging from Canada—all countries which have all been hit with varying tariffs.
Mars, the company that manufactures Snickers candy bars, also source cocoa from roughly 13 other countries around the globe, as well.
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Iconic American chocolate brand Hershey uses a similar approach and sources their cocoa from countries such as Brazil, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Colombia and many more.
And it’s not just chocolate: Channel 3000 also reports that even candies such as Nerds, Smarties and Sugar Babies are all tied to “the global supply chain.”
Looks like the Easter Bunny’s basket is going to be a little light this year…
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