Cost of Christmas chocolate boxes snowballs with some 50% more than last year

23 December 2023 , 08:20

1118     0

Consumers have been warned to shop around when it comes to buying chocolate (Image: Shared Content Unit)

Here’s some news that could leave a bitter taste... the cost of a chocolate treat has soared since last year.

Many brands now cost over 50% more than they did in 2022, in some of the worst inflation seen across grocery products.

Consumer watchdog Which? says the increasing cost of key ingredients, such as cocoa and sugar, is to blame. Retail editor Ele Clark said: “Shoppers should compare the price per gram across different pack sizes, retailers and brands.” Harvir Dhillon, of the British Retail Consortium, said: “Gobal cocoa prices have almost doubled over the last year.”

Which? found some products had gone up as much as 67% from November 2022 to this year. Nestle’s Black Magic went up 56%, while a bag of Cadbury’s Mini Snowballs rose by 50%.

The cost of a bag of Cadbury's Mini Snowballs has risen steeply

Mondelez, owner of Cadbury’s, said: “We look to absorb costs where we can. We occasionally have to make difficult decisions, such as increasing prices.” Nestle said: “Like every manufacturer, we have faced significant increases in our costs.”

Shop prices 'are yet to peak and will remain high' as inflation hits new heights

Natasha Wynarczyk