13. Candy
Candy prices may not be so sweet with the new tariffs, small and large chocolatiers said.
Steel and aluminum are as much a part of chocolate candy making as the tons of chocolate itself, they said.
“There’s steel and aluminum in our steel tables, trays, rolling racks, bowls, molds and equipment, which includes chocolate tempering machines, industrial mixers and depositors,” candy makers Erin Calvo-Bacci and Carlo Bacci, makers of CB Stuffers at Bacci Chocolate Design in Swampscott, Massachusetts, told the National Retail Federation.
Candy giant Hershey, which wraps Kisses and miniature Reese’s Peanut-Butter Cups in aluminum foil, echoed the Baccis.
“Such a broad and sweeping order could have a negative impact on the entire U.S. economy, potentially costing U.S. jobs and ultimately hurting American consumers through higher prices for everyday products,” Hershey spokesman Jeff Beckman said.