By Dr. Rob Johansson, Director of Economics and Policy Analysis

The volatility of the cocoa market has led to some truly spooky headlines over the past year, including cautionary tales of candy shortages. It’s inevitable that these headlines will rise from the dead again this Halloween and opponents of U.S. sugar policy may choose to take this opportunity to take a stab at sugar producers.

But if your Halloween basket is light on chocolate this year, it’s cocoa that’s the culprit – not sugar.

Chocolate, a key ingredient found in many Halloween favorites, is made from cocoa beans. And nearly 60% of the world’s cocoa beans come from just two countries: Ivory Coast and Ghana. Both countries have had several years of terrible harvests, leading to a global deficit of cocoa and prices 200% hi

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