SHOPPERS have been warned the cost of Easter eggs has hiked by 50 per cent – even though “they're getting thinner”.
Chocoholics looking forward to cracking open their goodies this weekend might be in for a shock at the till.
Which? has compared prices of the sweet treats at major supermarkets across the UK.
Researchers discovered while costs are soaring, shoppers aren't necessarily getting any more bang for their buck.
At an 80g pouch of Terry’s chocolate orange mini eggs was just 99p last year, but now they'll set you back £1.35.
And, the packet has actually shrunk in size to only 70g.
This was the case at fellow industry giants including , and .
Meanwhile, at , Which? revealed a Creme Egg 5 Pack Mixed Chocolate Box 200g had risen from a reasonable £2.62 to a staggering £4.
This makes a 53 per cent price increase per 100g year on year, despite the product size remaining the same.
Elsewhere, at Tesco, the experts found a Twix white chocolate Easter egg had risen in price by a quid, from £5 to £6.
But shoppers were disappointed to see it had decreased from 316g to 258g,
Similar scenes were spotted at Morrisons when fans noticed the Kit Kat Chunky milk chocolate Easter egg shrunk from 129g to 110g.
While it remained the same price, the size reduction meant it was 17 per cent more expensive this year per 100g.
However, the worst hit products were not actually Easter chocolate goodies.
The biggest examples of inflation included Stamford Street Co. Milk Chocolate 100g at Sainsbury’s, which rose from an average 50p to an average £1.03.
This means shoppers can expect to see a 108 per cent rise year-on-year.
Which? also found Asda Fruit & Nut Milk Chocolate 200g went from £1.33 to £2.30 – an increase of 73 per cent each year.
At , experts discovered vegan and free-from snack NOMO Creamy Choc Buttons Share Bag 110g went from £2.43 to £3.97.
This equates to a 63 per cent hike year-on-year for the consumer.
Biscuits have also been affected, at Ocado, Which? found Daylesford Organic White Chocolate Dipped Lemon Biscuits 150g went from £4.10 to £7.50.
And at Waitrose Bahlsen Ohne Gleichen Milk Praline Wafer 125g went from £1.59 to £2.60.
Overall, the supermarket giant with the highest inflation on their products was Sainsbury's.
Which? revealed prices have gone up by an average 5.6 per cent year-on-year.
Tesco came in close second with 5.3 per cent, while Waitrose had the lowest rate of inflation, at 1.8 per cent year-on-year.
However, shoppers were thrilled to see on large branded Easter eggs.
For a limited time,Asdashoppers can buy any large branded egg for £2.32.
This replaces the previous offer of four selected eggs for £11.96 (equating to £2.99 per egg), resulting in a saving of 67p per egg.
The latest deal beats all other major supermarkets includingAldi,Lidl, Morrisons, Sainsburys andTesco.
The price drop applies to over 20 large eggs, including popular choices from , and Mars:
- Cadbury Crème Egg Large Egg, 195g – now £2.32
- Maltesers Teasers Milk Chocolate Large Egg, 190g – now £2.32
- Cadbury Caramilk Golden Caramel Chocolate Large Egg, 183g – now £2.32
- Galaxy Minstrels Large Egg, 204g – now £2.32
It comes after choccie fans across the UK were issued an urgent warning about
As, companies have been forced to turn this more subtle way of bringing down costs.
Inflation has hit chocolate sales hard and the market research firm Kantar UK and Ireland has uncovered some worrying trends in chocolate sales caused by this spike in inflation.
As prices rocket, have already begun switching away from treat-size snacks to season or multi-pack portions.
Inflation for seasonal pack sales has grown by 13 per cent and multi pack items have become 9 per cent more expensive, compared to the 24 per cent increase in treatsize snacks.
However, the increase in price has led to fears that shoppers may start to forgo chocolate permanently.
This has led chocolate manufacturers to attempt skimpflation tactics.
Skimpflation involves adjusting the mixture of ingredients to reduce the amount of the more expensive ingredients.
This could involve diluting the amount of chocolate used by introducing more nuts into the recipe.
has been accused of leading the trend, after launching a range of filled chocolates in March 2024.
They have also announced a partnership with Biscoff which will launch in 2025.
There is the more obvious strategy known as shrinkflation, which sees brands reducing the size of their products while keeping prices the same.
This backfired for the beloved chocolate brand Toblerone in 2017, when their shrinkflation plan coincided with a 7 per cent drop in sales.
When they a year later, sales quickly recovered.
As supermarket prices continue to rise, shoppers have turned to dupes of their favourite chocolate treats.
