Supply and Demand of Candy
Quality reviewed September 2026
Facts verified September 9, 2026
- Subject
- Social Studies
- Grades
- Grades 9-12
- Length
- 6-page student worksheet
- Time
- About one 50-minute class period
- Great for
- Sub plans and independent work
- Includes
- Reading passage, comprehension questions + full answer key
- Format
- Print-and-go PDF
What students do
- Apply supply and demand principles to Halloween candy markets
- Analyze price inelasticity in seasonal products
- Trace the global chocolate supply chain from West Africa to stores
- Examine how West African disruptions affect U.S. candy prices and availability
What it covers
- Supply and demand economics and seasonal markets
- Price fluctuations and seasonal inelasticity
- Global supply chains for chocolate production
Start reading this worksheet
The Seasonal Market for Sweets
Candy is available year-round, but Halloween transforms it into a seasonal product with unique patterns of supply and demand. As October approaches, demand for candy skyrockets. Families preparing for trick-or-treaters, schools hosting events, and individuals planning parties all purchase large quantities. This sudden spike means candy companies must anticipate demand months in advance, producing and distributing enough to avoid shortages. The law of demand states that as the price of a good rises, the quantity demanded usually falls. However, Halloween candy behaves differently. Because it is tied to a seasonal tradition, people are willing to buy regardless of price increases. This makes the demand for Halloween candy inelastic: a higher price won’t significantly reduce how much people purchase in late October. On the supply side, manufacturers often produce candy in bulk earlier in the year, storing it until October distribution, ensuring shelves are stocked when demand peaks.
Price Fluctuations and Shortages
Candy prices vary depending on the season. In the months leading up to Halloween, retailers often offer discounts to encourage early shopping, but as the holiday nears, prices can rise. Occasionally, shortages occur when supply does not keep pace with high demand. This has been especially true in years when sugar or cocoa prices increase, affecting the cost of production. Global supply chains also play a role. Cocoa primarily comes from West Africa, and any disruption, such as poor harvests, political instability, or shipping delays, can reduce the supply of chocolate, driving prices up. The candy market demonstrates how even a local holiday tradition is influenced by international economics.
Like what you read? The full reading, the case study, and every question set are in the free download below, along with the answer key.
Why this matters
Behind a dollar candy bar bought at a corner store on Halloween sits a chain that starts at cocoa farms in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire and runs through processing plants and shipping routes. When drought or political conflict disrupts those farms, the price of that candy bar rises here, and some families stop buying it altogether.
Supply and demand usually stays trapped in a graph for students, two lines crossing at a point that means nothing outside the textbook. Tracing an actual candy bar back to a real farm turns that graph into decisions made by people an ocean away, connecting a price tag to a harvest they will never see.
From one teacher to another
Ask students where their Halloween Snickers comes from, and they'll say a store. This worksheet takes them all the way back to cocoa farms in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, through processing plants and shipping, and finally to their hands. When drought or political conflict hits West Africa, candy prices jump here, and if they jump high enough, some families skip buying altogether. It's economics made visible, global trade made concrete.
What you get
Download
Where should I send the next one?
Everything here is free and it stays that way. Leave your email and I'll send you the new lessons as they go up. You can unsubscribe from any one of them.
Related resources
Every lesson on this site is free to download and use. If one of them saved you a prep period, you can chip in a few bucks toward my three kids' daycare fund. That's genuinely where tips go.