Choc horror- Easter treats getting smaller and more expensive, Which? finds
The Which? supermarket food and drink inflation tracker shows that the price of chocolate has risen by 16.5 per cent in a year - far more than the overall price of supermarket food and drink, which is up 4.4 per cent. This comes after a steep fall in global cocoa production started driving wholesale costs to record highs.
The consumer champion found that some Easter eggs went up by as much as 56 per cent per 100 grams, year on year.
At Lidl an 80g pouch of Terry’s chocolate orange mini eggs was 99p in the run up to Easter in 2024. However in 2025, it was not only more expensive at £1.35 (although still cheaper than several other supermarkets), it had also shrunk to 70g - meaning a rise of 56 per cent per 100g. The product also shrunk at other supermarkets but the price rise per 100g was less - 51 per cent at Asda, 37 per cent at Sainsbury’s and 14 per cent at Tesco.
At Morrisons, Which? found a Cadbury Creme Egg 5 Pack Mixed Chocolate Box 200g had risen from £2.62 in the run up to Easter 2024 to £4 this year (a 53% price increase per 100g year on year, but the pack had stayed the same size).
At Tesco, Which? found a Twix white chocolate Easter egg had increased from £5 to £6 in the run up to Easter year on year, and had also shrunk from 316g to 258g, meaning the unit price (the price per 100g) had gone up by 47 per cent.
At Morrisons, Nestlé’s Kit Kat Chunky milk chocolate Easter egg stayed at the same price in the run up to Easter year-on-year at £1.50 but reduced in size from 129g to 110g, making it 17 per cent more expensive per 100g.
Which? found the biggest examples of inflation on non-Easter chocolate, including budget own-brand chocolate. Examples included Stamford Street Co. Milk Chocolate 100g at Sainsbury’s, which went up from an average 50p to an average £1.03 (up 108% year-on-year).
Which? found Asda Fruit & Nut Milk Chocolate 200g went from £1.33 to £2.30 (an increase of 73% year-on-year).
Meanwhile at Ocado, Which? found vegan and free-from snack; NOMO Creamy Choc Buttons Share Bag 110g went from £2.43 to £3.97 (up 63% year-on-year).
Which?’s inflation tracker also found that inflation on biscuits as a category was up by 8.5 per cent. However some biscuits had much higher rates of inflation suggesting that chocolate biscuit prices are also being impacted by high wholesale costs on cocoa.
At Ocado, Which? found Daylesford Organic White Chocolate Dipped Lemon Biscuits 150g went from £4.10 to £7.50 (up 83% year-on-year).
At Waitrose, Which? found Bahlsen Ohne Gleichen Milk Praline Wafer 125g went from £1.59 to £2.60 (up 64% year-on-year).
When Which? looked at supermarket inflation across the board, it found Sainsbury’s had the highest inflation on the food and drink products included in the tracker - with prices up by an average 5.6 per cent year-on-year. Tesco was not far behind with inflation at 5.3 per cent. Waitrose had the lowest rate of inflation, at 1.8 per cent year-on-year.
Reena Sewraz, Which? Money and Retail Editor, said:
“There’s no better way to enjoy the Spring Bank Holiday than spending time with loved ones and indulging in a cracking assortment of Easter chocolate, but if you don’t want to pay more for less, it is worth shopping around.
“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.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Research:
Which?’s tracker looks at 20 popular categories of food and drink at eight supermarkets — Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose. It compares average prices across the same three-month and one-month periods year-on-year, including discounts but not multibuys or loyalty card offers. Figures are then weighted based on supermarket market share and the sales volume of each product category.
To see how these high levels of inflation on value ranges are affecting specific products on supermarket shelves Which? also looks at a three-month average – in this case from December 2024–February 2025 – and compares it year on year.
Right of replies:
Which? approached all the supermarkets mentioned to ask if they wanted to comment on the pricing of the specific examples above. It also approached the manufacturers of the products which have shrunk in size.
A Mars Wrigley UK spokesperson said: “We know that the cost of living is front and centre for families across the country, which is why we remain focused on providing great, high-quality snacks at the best possible value for money. 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."
A Nestlé spokesperson 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. To maintain the same high quality and delicious products that consumers know and love, it has sometimes been necessary to make adjustments to the price or weight of some of our products.
“Retail pricing is always at the sole discretion of individual retailers.”
An Ocado spokesperson 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. We also work closely with our suppliers to make sure pricing is fair, without compromising on quality. We’ve already reduced hundreds of prices across our Big Price Drop initiative this year and continue to match over 10,000 products to Tesco.com as part of the Ocado Price Promise; delivering a wide range of choice for all needs and budgets.”
Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose did not issue a comment. Nor did Carambar and Co, which makes Terry’s products.
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