Easter eggs rise in price and shrink in size with shoppers facing 40% rise in cost per chocolate gram

The cost of chocolate across UK stores has surged by 9.7 per cent in just a year, more than double the rate for overall food and drink inflation at 3.9 per cent.

Easter eggs and other chocolate products from brands including Cadbury, M&Ms, Galaxy, Maltesers and Toblerone have all seen large price rises per gram.

The 'shrinkflation' of Easter treats has not escaped the notice of shoppers in Northallerton in North Yorkshire.

Peter Sinclair, a North Yorkshire resident, told GB News: "I buy chocolate bars instead of Easter eggs because you get more for your money that way.

"They're getting much smaller, although it seems to me the packaging stays the same size, so it fools you into thinking that there's a decent-sized egg in there, and there isn't always.

"The inserts are a lot smaller too, you know, the chocolate that comes with the egg, like the mini eggs, or chocolate bars."

A former 'chocaholic' also spoke to GB News said: "Chocolate has got tremendously expensive. I used to eat a lot of it, but I don't bother now."

Judith Barlow also found chocolate has risen in price and said: "We buy Easter eggs every year for the grandchildren and they've got smaller and more expensive."

When asked if the price increase puts her off buying Easter eggs, Judith said "no, not really", and her husband Gary Barlow added: "I think if we didn't have grandkids, we wouldn't bother so much."

Another man added: "The bigger ones [Easter eggs] you get, the more expensive and there's less in it."

Some big brands are also replacing cocoa with palm oil to cut down on costs.

But artisan chocolatiers, like Inspired Chocolate, never compromise on quality.

The shop, nestled on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales in Leyburn, has an on-site chocolate-making factory where staff craft all the products by hand, and customers can visit for chocolate workshops.

Yvonne Warne is the Owner of Inspired Chocolate and said: "Easter is one of our crucial periods in the year, and as you can imagine, with chocolate and Easter eggs, it is definitely a massively busy period.

"We do all of our chocolate based on the amount of chocolate in and the time that it takes to make our eggs. So, for example, this small on here weighs double the weight of a large Cadbury's one.

"We don't have palm oil in our chocolate, we never have and to me, I think people are now looking for more quality chocolate that's something special rather than just the chocolate flavoured hit of some eggs."

Retailers and manufacturers say chocolate prices are rising quickly due to a severe global cocoa shortage caused by poor harvests, disease and ageing trees in West Africa, amid high demand and increased costs for energy and transportation.

Without cocoa farmers, there would be no chocolate and Fairtrade ensures they receive fair prices, safe working conditions, and funds to invest in their communities.

Marina El-Hasni, Fairtrade Foundation’s Senior Sourcing Manager for Cocoa, told GB News: "It's very difficult for consumers to be reminded that the high prices of chocolate are linked to issues that are so far away from us, in other countries.

"To think of the farmers in that moment when we do buy our chocolate, having the option to buy Fairtrade chocolate means that consumers are contributing to the efforts that we at Fairtrade strive to support farmers with."

The most striking example of shrinkflation uncovered by the probe from consumer group Which? was a Galaxy Milk Chocolate Extra Large Easter Egg at Asda, increasing from £4.98 for 252g in 2025 to £5.97 for 210g in 2026 - a 44 per cent rise in price per gram.

The same product at Tesco also shrank by the same amount and became pricier, up from £6 to £7 – a rise of 40 per cent per gram, although it is still cheaper in Asda.

Which? also found that some chocolate treats have not shrunk, but the price increased significantly.

For example, at Ocado, the Cadbury Assortment Minis Mix Easter Egg Sharing Bag (232g) went from £4.20 on average in February 2025 to £6.79 in February 2026 – an increase of 62 per cent.

At Morrisons, the M&M's Crispy Milk Chocolate Easter Mini Eggs (72g) went from £1.50 in February last year to £2.30 on average in February this year – an increase of 53 per cent.

The firm Which? tracks around 25,000 products across eight major UK supermarkets to provide a detailed, year-on-year look at how grocery prices are changing.

The analysis compares average costs across 20 product categories to look at specific inflation trends for individual retailers, product ranges and items.

Mars Wrigley, which owns the Galaxy, M&Ms and Maltesers brands, said: "We always aim to absorb rising costs wherever possible, however, ongoing pressures, including the well-documented rises in the cost of cocoa, mean we have had to make carefully considered changes to ensure shoppers can continue to enjoy their favourite Easter treats without any compromise on the quality or taste they expect from Mars.

"As with all our products, final pricing remains at the discretion of individual retailers."

Shrinkflation can be hard to spot, but Which? says there are things you can do to avoid overpaying for your groceries.

One way is to look out for anything labelled ‘new’. This can mean a new size or a new formulation, but it's unlikely to mean better value.

If you shop online, this might be easier to spot as the product listing will have changed and may have dropped out of your favourites list.

You can also keep an eye on the unit price (the price per 100g or 100ml) to see if anything has changed, or switch supermarkets to help lower costs.

Find out more with Which? supermarket food inflation tracker.