Easter egg hunts could become slightly more difficult and expensive this year – with the chocolate treats rising in price by as much as 56% while shrinking in size, a consumer group has found.
The price of chocolate in the UK has risen by 16.5% in a year, compared to a 4.4% increase for supermarket food and drink overall, according to inflation tracking by Which?.
It comes after a steep fall in global cocoa production, driven by higher temperatures hindering the quality and quantity of beans, started driving wholesale costs to record highs.
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An 80g pouch of Terry’s chocolate orange mini eggs at Lidl cost 99p in the run up to Easter in 2024 but has gone up to £1.35 while shrinking to 70g – meaning a price rise of 56% per 100g, the Which? research found.
The same product, which originally cost more at other supermarkets, has gone up by 51% at Asda, 37% at Sainsbury’s and 14% at Tesco.
At Morrisons, Which? found a 200g Cadbury Creme Egg 5 Pack Mixed Chocolate Box had increased in price from £2.62 last year to £4 this year.
A Nestle Kit Kat Chunky milk chocolate Easter egg stayed at the same price at the supermarket but has reduced in size from 129g to 110g – making it 17% more expensive per 100g.
At Tesco, Which? found a Twix white chocolate Easter egg had increased from £5 to £6 on last year and had also shrunk from 316g to 258g, meaning the unit price per 100g had gone up by 47%.
Meanwhile, Asda Fruit & Nut Milk Chocolate 200g is 73% more expensive, rising from £1.33 to £2.30.
At Ocado, a 110g NOMO Creamy Choc Buttons share bag 110g has gone up from £2.43 to £3.97, a 63% increase.
Which? money and retail editor Reena Sewraz said: “You can still get a good deal on your Easter chocolate by looking for special offers, comparing the price per gram or if you can, hold out until Easter Sunday when many of the eggs are likely to be reduced.”
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Sky News has contacted Terry’s, Lidl, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Cadbury for comment.
Harvir Dhillon, economist at the British Retail Consortium trade association which represents supermarkets, said: “Chocolate prices are largely determined by manufacturers, and have been hard hit by global cocoa prices, which are around four times higher than in 2023.
“The cost of cocoa has been badly affected by poor harvests in parts of Africa.”
A spokeswoman from Mars Wrigley, which makes Twix, said: “We will always absorb pricing pressures where we can, but rising manufacturing costs – driven in part by well-documented increases in the cost of cocoa – have meant that we’ve had to adjust some of our product sizes to minimise changes to list price, ensuring our snacks continue to deliver great quality and affordable value for families this Easter.”
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A Nestle spokeswoman said: “Like every manufacturer, we have seen significant increases in the cost of cocoa, making it much more expensive to manufacture our products.
“As always, we continue to be more efficient and absorb increasing costs where possible.”
Ocado said: “With external factors continuing to push up the price of a range of commodities, we’re doing all we can to keep prices low for our customers.”
