The cost of chocolate surged by 9.7% compared to last year, according to Which?. · Matthew Horwood via Getty Images
Shoppers are facing a shrinkflation “double whammy” on Easter eggs, Which? has warned, with its research highlighting that consumers could pay more for less this year for chocolate treats.
The consumer group said that its supermarket inflation tracker had found that while overall food and drink price growth had slowed to 3.9%, the cost of chocolate had surged by 9.7%, driven by ongoing global supply issues.
Which?’s supermarket inflation tracker looks at how prices are changing on around 25,000 products across eight major supermarkets.
In its analysis, published Friday, Which? said it had also found that “shrinkflation” – where a product reduces in size but costs the same or more – “has become a prevalent trend in the seasonal aisle”.
For instance, Which? found that a Galaxy Milk Chocolate Extra Large Easter Egg at Asda, went from costing £4.98 for 252g in 2025 to £5.97 for 210g in 2026 – representing a 44% increase in the price per gram.
The consumer group’s researchers also found that the same Galaxy Easter egg also shrank but was more expensive at Tesco (TSCO.L) – going from £6 last year to £7 this year.
In another example from Asda, Which? said its research showed that the M&M’s Crispy Easter Egg went from costing £3.48 for 192g last year to £3.97 for 156g this year, working out to a 40% increase per gram.
At Morrisons, the consumer group found that the Cadbury Mini Eggs Milk Chocolate Easter Egg had shrunk in size from 193.5g to 181g, but risen in price from £4 to £5 – equating to a 34% price increase per gram.
Also at Morrisons, the Toblerone The Edgy Egg Milk Chocolate Easter Egg With Truffles went from costing £14 for 298g last year to £15 for 256g this year – representing an increase of 25% per gram.
Meanwhile, some chocolate treats did not shrink in size but did increase in price. For example, Which? found that the Cadbury Assortment Minis Mix Easter Egg Sharing Bag 232g went from £4.20 on average in 2025 to £6.79 in 2026 at Ocado – working out to a 62% price increase.
In addition, Which? found that M&M’s Crispy Milk Chocolate Easter Mini Eggs 72g went from £1.50 last year to £2.30 on average this year at Morrisons, representing a 53% price increase.
Reena Sewraz, retail editor at Which?, said: “It’s disappointing to see Easter treats aren’t safe from shrinkflation, with some products going up in price significantly, even though they’re smaller than last year. Manufacturers are quietly giving shoppers less for more, so it’s no wonder people feel cheated when they get less bang for their buck.”
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“To ensure you’re getting a fair deal, always check the ‘price per 100g’ on the shelf edge label rather than just the headline price,” she said. “This is the only way to accurately compare different brands and sizes to ensure you are bagging a genuine bargain.”
More broadly, Which?’s supermarket food inflation tracker found that across a range of groceries, supermarket own-label premium products had the highest rates of inflation at 6.7%, compared to 4% for budget own-brand items and 2.8% for branded items. In terms of individual retailers, the consumer group said that Waitrose had the highest rate of inflation at 4.7% while Aldi had the lowest at 2.9%.
Which? said it approached the supermarkets mentioned in its research for comment regarding pricing, as well as the manufacturers of the products which had shrunk in size.
A Sainsbury’s (SBRY.L) spokesperson said: “We know Easter is a time many come together which is why we are focused on giving customers brilliant value with trusted quality.”
A spokesperson for 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.”
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