Hershey Says Salty Snacks Have a ‘Greater Presence’ in Halloween Lineup Amid GLP-1 Popularity

Hershey says salty snacks have a greater presence in its Halloween lineup this year, while chocolate remains central to the season amid growing GLP-1 popularity.

Courtesy The Hershey Company

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Hershey is expanding its Halloween lineup with salty snacks like Pirate’s Booty and SkinnyPop

The company says its research shows a consumer demand for more variety in Halloween offerings

A representative of the company told Reuters that the shift was motivated by a consumer focus on healthy eating, though chocolate remains central to the holiday amid the rise of GLP-1s

Hershey is making some salty additions to its Halloween lineup.

Amid the growing popularity of FDA-approved GLP-1 weight loss drugs, the food company is prioritizing more salty snacks in its Halloween offerings this year, according to Reuters.

The company unveiled its 2026 Halloween portfolio on Aug. 13 in a press release, including an expansion of “Halloween snacking” that goes “beyond the candy bowl.” The offerings are in stores now.

“This Halloween, The Hershey Company is offering its largest and most diverse lineup yet, shaped by our consumer-first, occasion-based approach to seasons,” Hershey says in a statement shared with PEOPLE. “We’ve built a Halloween lineup that’s inspired by how consumers are celebrating Halloween earlier and across more occasions.”

The statement continues, “For the first time, Hershey is bringing a broader portfolio of salty offerings to Halloween, giving people more ways to celebrate. Our salty brands, Pirate’s Booty, LesserEvil, SkinnyPop, and Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels, offer households a wider range of options beyond confection and sweets.”

Courtesy The Hershey Company

“It’s a meaningful expansion as consumers seek variety, and we see salty playing a growing role in trunk-or-treating, parties and non-candy occasions,” the company tells PEOPLE.

The salty items include Pirate’s Booty Trick-or-Treat snack packs as a “savory, non-candy option,” along with Pirate’s Booty Boos & Bites, which are in the shape of ghosts and monsters.

Another new Halloween option offered by the company is SkinnyPop Halloween Packs, individual Halloween-themed packages that the company says are “designed for seasonal snacking and sharing.”

“This lighter, better-for-you option gives consumers a salty alternative that extends Halloween celebrations beyond the candy bowl,” the company said in the release.

Hershey rounds out its savory offerings with snack-sized Reese’s Sweet & Salty, which features Reese’s Dipped Animal Crackers, Dipped Pretzels and Filled Pretzels.

Also featured on the company’s Halloween lineup for the first time are LesserEvil popcorn items, which the company said in the release lean into its Unwrapping Halloween report findings with consumer intelligence company Morning Consult that people are seeking fall flavors by late September.

This finding makes “pumpkin spice and Halloween-themed salty snacks a natural fit for the season’s longer runway,” the release said.

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The LesserEvil Pumpkin Spice Popcorn, Spooky Popcorn and Spooky Spaceballs are on Hershey’s Halloween lineup.

“LesserEvil popcorn brings a lighter, better-for-you salty snack into Halloween-themed packs” with the Spooky Popcorn, the release said. “The individually portioned format works across trick-or-treating, school events and Halloween celebrations.”

Hershey vice president Dan Mohnshine told Reuters that “the Lesser Evil brand and our salty snacks brands broadly, Skinny Pop and ​Pirate’s Booty, having a greater presence in Halloween is in response to the (healthy eating) dynamic.”

In the release, the company cites a reported growing interest in trunk-or-treating events as an example of consumer demand for increased variety and “the growing role salty snacks play throughout the season.”

It added, “Salty plays a growing role in Trunk-or-Treat, parties and non-candy occasions, with expanded Pirate’s Booty, popcorn and sweet-and-salty assortment packs that reflect how consumers actually snack during the season.”

The company said in the release that its Halloween portfolio stems from research into “shopper behaviors” and “emerging trends.”

Mohnshine also told Reuters that sugar-free treats have seen growth for the company, with U.S. sales of Hershey Zero Sugar candy, mint and gum growing from 2020 to 2025 by about 4.3 times.

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However, he said that “when it comes to GLP-1s,” the company has seen a “pretty strong resilience” in consumer preferences for chocolate in the U.S., telling the outlet that early sales of snack-sized bags of chocolates and candies have risen in figures totaling in the double digits compared to last year.

“Chocolate remains at the heart of Halloween,” the company tells PEOPLE in its statement.

The company’s report found that 82% of parents are likely to buy chocolate in the month of October.

The Halloween portfolio includes various chocolate bags featuring items like Kit Kats and Reese’s.

Hershey’s Halloween lineup also includes assorted bags with Jolly Ranchers and gummy candies like Twizzlers, fueled by consumer research by the company that showed that most parents are likely to buy gummy candies early in the fall season.

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