Chocolate brands Mars, Nestlé and Terry’s have been accused of practising shrinkflation on chocolate Easter eggs, by consumer group Which?

According to the latest research from the consumer watchdog, the price of chocolate has risen by 16.5% in a year, which is significantly more than the overall price of supermarket food and drink, which has increased by 4.4%.

Shrinkflation – the act of reducing the quantity of product in an item while maintaining the same price or putting it up – has been one way that manufacturers have dealt with high inflation, after a fall in global cocoa production drove wholesale costs to record highs.

Which? found that an 80g pouch of Terry’s chocolate orange mini eggs was priced at 99p at Lidl in the run-up to Easter last year, but was now £1.35 for 70g – a rise of 56% per 100g.

The same packet of mini eggs also shrunk at other supermarkets, but the price increase per 100g was less – 51% at Asda, 37% at Sainsbury’s and 14% at Tesco.

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The consumer watchdog found a Twix white chocolate Easter egg at Tesco that had risen from £5 to £6 this year compared to 2024 but was reduced in size from 316g to 258g — representing a 47% jump in the price per 100g.

Nestlé’s Kit Kat Chunky milk chocolate Easter egg stayed at the same price at Morrisons in the run-up to Easter year-on-year at £1.50, but had shrunk from 129g to 110g, making it 17% more expensive per 100g.

A Mars Wrigley UK spokesperson told Which?: “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 added: “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.”