Hershey expects to have candy shortage at Halloween

Trick-or-treaters this year could see a lack of treats, at least coming from Hershey.

Executives with the chocolate company said during a quarterly earnings report that there's a good chance there will be a shortage of the candy come Halloween.

Chief Executive Officer Michele Buck said during the call that the company "will not be able to fully meet consumer demand" for the holiday.

Buck said the company and several other candies were "constrained" this year. She also blamed the war in Ukraine for the drop in production

"Certainly, the Ukraine-Russia issue created some scarcity and issue with ingredients. And more recently, there have been additional restrictions from Russia on the EU relative to natural gas," she said during the company's Q2 earnings call this week.

Hershey is not alone in production issues lately. A combination of the pandemic, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and staffing problems have led to shortages have in numerous foods, liquor, lumber and other goods. 

So what candies are they talking about? Hershey's chocolate bars, Almond Joys, Kit-Kat's, Twizzlers and more. However, Buck said "there are certain places we're not constrained, others that we are."

Hershey uses the same production line for distribution of Halloween candy and regular candy, which is also creating the problem.