Popular Christmas chocolates soar in price

Tucking into a box of chocolates once the presents are opened and the washing up is done is almost as much a part of Christmas as turkey and mince pies.

But while the price of Christmas dinner hasn't jumped too much since last year (just 1.3% according to market experts Kantar), you may find the inflation on popular chocs harder to swallow. 

The Which? food and drink inflation tracker has revealed that the price of some popular Christmas chocolates has risen by more than 50% in a year. 

Here we reveal the chocolate brands that have been hardest hit and explore why prices have risen so much.

Which Christmas chocs have grown in price the most?

While overall supermarket food and drink inflation slowed to 8.3% in November, according to our inflation tracker, chocolate rose by almost twice as much, at 15.3%.

Some Christmas chocolates were up by much more. Here are some of the worst examples we found: 

• Green & Black's Organic Classic Miniature Chocolate Bar Collection (180g): from £3.59 to £6 at Asda - up 67.2%
• Mars, Snickers, Twix, Maltesers & Milky Way Funsize Milk Chocolate Bars 20 pack (358g): from £2.50 to £3.99 at Asda - up 59.8%
• Nestle’s Black Magic (348g): from £3.35 to £5.25 at Asda - up 56.6%
• Dairy Box Medium Chocolate Box (326g): also from £3.35 to £5.25 at Asda - up 56.6%
• Maltesers Truffles Chocolate Large Gift Box (336g): from £5.15 to £8 at Asda - up 55.2%
• Cadbury Milk Tray Chocolate Box (360g): from £3 to £4.50 at Asda - up 50%
• Cadbury Mini Snowballs Chocolate Bar 110g: from £1 to £1.50 at Tesco - up 50%
• Quality Street Assorted Chocolate Box (220g): from £2 to £3 at Asda - up 50%
• Terry's Chocolate Orange Minis Bag (125g): from £1 to £1.50 at Tesco - up 50%

All prices were averages in the three months to the end of November 2022, compared to the same period this year and include regular discounts but not multibuys or loyalty prices. 

• Find out more: which is the cheapest supermarket?

What about other chocolate treats? 

It's not just Christmas chocs affected by price hikes. Some other chocolate treats had even higher price rises. 

For example, Asda's Chocolate Caramel Chews (6x38g) jumped from 65p to £1.35 on average - a rise of 107.7%. Bolands Elite Chocolate Kimberley Teacakes (132g) at Morrisons saw their average price hiked 99.2%, from £1.30 in 2022 to £2.59 this year.

The discounters’ take on the Mars bar - Aldi’s Dairyfine Titan and Lidl’s Mister Choc Choco & Caramel Bars (both packs of six) - saw similar increases, from 62p and 65p respectively on average in 2022 to £1.09 and £1.08 on average in 2023. That's an increase of 75.8% at Aldi and 66.8% at Lidl. 

• Find out more: how to spend less at the supermarket

Why is chocolate rising in price so fast? 

The increasing cost of key ingredients, including cocoa and sugar, has been largely to blame for prices of confectionery going up. Both cocoa and sugar have been hit by supply issues and poor production in the past 12 months.

The price of cocoa hit its highest levels ever this autumn and the price of raw sugar is just below a 12-year high. Production levels of cocoa are down in West Africa due to poor weather, black pod disease (which causes cocoa pods to rot), a decline in the numbers of cocoa farmers and a shortage of fertilisers and pesticides due to the conflict in Ukraine.

Ele Clark, Which? retail editor, said: 'Festive selection boxes are one of the staples of Christmas, whether you’re buying a last-minute gift or sharing chocs with your loved ones in front of a classic seasonal film.

'We’ve seen large price hikes on some festive favourites this year, so to ensure you're getting the best value for money on your Christmas chocs, compare the price per gram across different pack sizes, retailers and brands.'

• Find out more: where can you buy the cheapest Christmas dinner ingredients?

About Which?'s supermarket food and drink inflation tracker

Which?’s tracker looks at 20 popular categories of food and drink at eight supermarkets — Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose. 

It compares average prices across the same three-month and one-month periods year-on-year, including discounts but not multibuys or loyalty card offers. 

Figures are tweighted based on supermarket market share and the sales volume of each product category.

• Find out more: Which? food price inflation tracker