Easter egg shoppers face price rises and shrinkflation

The consumer group also reported ‘shrinkflation’ with some Easter eggs having shrunk in size but not price.

It found that a Maltesers Truffles Luxury Easter Egg (286g) is up from average £8 to £13, which equates to a rise of 62.5%.

At Asda, a Lindt 5 Gold Bunny Milk Chocolate (50g) increased from £2 on average to £3.11 on average – up 55.5%.

Terry’s Chocolate Orange shrank to 200g from 230g at four major supermarkets and Smarties Chocolate Egg shrank from 266g to 188g at two supermarkets.

At Tesco, a Ferrero Rocher Golden Easter Egg (250g) rose £10 to £15 – up 50%.

Ele Clark, Which? retail editor, said: “Easter eggs are a non-negotiable highlight of Spring for many of us, but paying for your chocolate haul will be more of a stretch this year.

“Some eggs are over 50% pricier than in 2023 – while others have shrunk in size but not price.”

One of the main reasons for the price hike is the current price of cocoa as Nidhi Jain, commodity specialist at The Smart Cube, explained.

“Cocoa’s price has reached a record high amid continued supply concerns in two of the leading cocoa-producing nations globally – Ivory Coast and Ghana – with cocoa production projected to decline by approximately 10% year-on-year in West Africa.

The decrease in production has been caused by several factors, including the spread of disease in cocoa plantations: swollen shoot virus in Ivory Coast and black pod disease in Ghana have led to crop deterioration.

Uncharacteristically heavy rains in the region escalated the spread of these diseases – total precipitation in West Africa during the second half of 2023 was more than double the 30-year average – negatively impacting cocoa crop quality and production.

“Like cocoa, global sugar prices have risen considerably in recent months. Driving this is a supply deficit of sugar, caused by the adverse weather associated with El Niño.

“As the supply of both commodities dwindles, chocolate makers are expected to raise prices accordingly, passing rising costs onto consumers prior to Easter.”