Many people have noticed that Easter chocolate seems to be smaller than in previous years, and they’re not happy about it, with some taking to social media to complain
Easter for many is a time to indulge in delicious chocolate treats guilt-free, but this year, people are noticing that the eggs themselves, and the chocolate that comes with the egg are smaller than ever.
According to Which?, despite the fact that your Easter egg is likely to cost you more, it’s probably smaller in size as well. “Known as ‘shrinkflation’, this enables manufacturers to cut their production costs by using fewer ingredients, which – in times of high inflation – can help them limit the cost increases that get passed on to retailers and, in turn, consumers,” Which? said.
One woman noticed that it wasn’t just the eggs themselves either, it was the chocolate that came with them. Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Char fumed: “My mum just gave me my Easter egg and why are the bags of chocolate getting smaller and smaller?? There’s [sic] like 6 mini eggs in that. Sad times”. Someone responded by saying “Everything’s getting smaller”, later sharing that they’d managed to get their hands on a “1kg bag of Mini Eggs” which would “last a few days”.
Research by Which? showed that indeed, things are getting smaller on the shelves, including chocolate eggs. A large Mars milk chocolate Easter egg had reduced in size from 252g to 201g at Morrisons and Tesco, for example. Overall, the price of chocolate has risen by 12.6 per cent in a year, Which?’s supermarket food and drink inflation tracker revealed.
The so-called shrinkflation has come after a huge rise in global cocoa prices due to dry weather in West Africa, with prices roughly doubling in a year, but Which? thinks businesses should be more upfront when they’re making changes to the size and pricing of eggs.
Ele Clark, Which? Retail Editor, said: “Easter eggs are a non-negotiable highlight of Spring for many of us, but Which? has found that paying for your chocolate haul will be more of a stretch this year. Some eggs are over 50 per cent pricier than in 2023 – while others have shrunk in size but not price. To ensure you get the best value for money on your Easter chocolate, shop around and compare the price per gram across different pack sizes, retailers and brands.”
Speaking about changes to the size of Wispa bars, not eggs, a spokesperson for Cadbury said: “Making changes to the weight of our products is always a last resort, however, costs across our supply chain have risen steeply. Core ingredients we heavily rely on, like cocoa and sugar are a lot more expensive, while the cost of energy, packaging, and transport also remain high.
“This means that our products continue to be much more expensive to make and so, to keep our treats affordable, we have needed to make small changes to slightly reduce the weight of some of our products.”
Many people took to Reddit to say they’d noticed changes too, with one person fuming: “Something I noticed last year, was how little the difference is in between some Easter egg boxes, with the only difference tended to be an additional chocolate bar. Don’t know what the range of Easter eggs is like in the US, but in the UK, the general brand ones all seem to have a similar pattern.
“They’ll all have the cheaper ‘medium’ eggs. Usually coming with a fun-size version of the chocolate bar, or just the chocolate egg itself. But often the ones that are classed as ‘large’ and ‘extra large’, when you take a closer look, you’ll find the Easter egg itself is actually the same size, the only difference is the XL version will have 2 chocolate bars included, instead of one. But they will charge more than double the price of the chocolate bar on top of what you would pay if you bought the version with just one bar.”
Someone responded: “Why overpay for the seasonal trends when the taste is not going to be significantly affected by it being bought after the holiday has passed?”, and another said: “The eggs are getting thinner I must admit”. A Redditor fumed: “I’ll expect nothing different by still not buying that c**p”.
A spokesperson for Mars Wrigley said it’s not a decision that’s been “taken lightly”. They said: “Unfortunately, the growing pressures mean that more needs to be done. Reducing the size of some of our products, whilst raising prices, is not a decision we have taken lightly but it is necessary for shoppers to still be able to enjoy their favourite Easter eggs without compromising on quality or taste.”
The Mirror has contacted Cadbury for comment.
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