Canadians Favor Local Products for Halloween Purchases, Survey Finds

A survey by Angus Reid for NextDoor Canada indicates that 59% of Canadians consider supporting local or Canadian businesses a priority when shopping for Halloween, with higher percentages in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Atlantic Canada. The poll also found that 88% of respondents expect to spend less than $100 on the holiday, and about two-thirds plan to keep their budget under $50.

Winnipeg shopper Suzie Wisniewski said she tries to buy Canadian products whenever possible, adding that supporting the country is important to her. Food Fare owner Ramsey Zeid noted that while the store labels Canadian items, truly Canadian-made Halloween candy is scarce, and most available treats are simply prepared in Canada.

“I haven’t seen any Canadian-made Halloween candies but certainly see a lot of candies that say prepared in Canada,” Zeid said.

Zeid explained that stocking seasonal candy is challenging for retailers because Halloween sales are limited to a single day each year, making it difficult to justify large inventory investments.

Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, said many familiar Halloween sweets are manufactured in Canada but are owned by foreign, often American, companies. He suggested that Canadian-focused shoppers may need to search beyond major retailers, looking in pharmacies or independent stores for locally produced options, which can be more expensive.

“There are very Canadian options out there, but they’re typically more expensive, but most candies that’ll be given out are manufactured in Canada, but most of them are foreign companies,” Charlebois said.

The findings highlight a tension between consumer desire to support domestic producers and the limited availability and higher cost of truly Canadian-made Halloween treats.