While the chewy candy category continues to grow, U.S. sales for hard candy — driven by lollipops and sugar-free options — are seeing declines.
Hard candy generated nearly $571 million in the year ending June 14, 2020, according to IRI, a Chicago-based research firm. That’s down 2.6 percent from a year ago. Unit sales also fell by 7.3 percent to just over 365 million.