If you've been online this week, you've probably seen the Easter egg prices and thought someone made a typo. They didn't. Australian Easter chocolate has hit a new low, and no, that's not a pun.
Easter chocolates have jumped 26.6 per cent year-on-year, according to price tracking data. But here's the kicker: you're not just paying more. You're getting significantly less chocolate for that money.
Cadbury's 15-pack of hollow hunting eggs now costs $15, replacing an 18-egg box that sold for $13.50 last year. That's a 3-egg loss and a $1.50 price hike. But the real gut-punch comes from the larger packs. A 24-pack that cost $12.50 in 2024 shrank to 22 eggs for $15 in 2025. In 2026, it's now 20 eggs for $18. Over two years, that's a 73 per cent increase in price per 100 grams of chocolate.
CHOICE investigated the trend and found the shrinkflation extends across Cadbury's entire Easter range, with the 100g Lindt Bunny up 32 per cent across major retailers. Aldi's own-brand baked goods also got lighter without any price cut.
What makes this particularly galling is the timing. Cocoa prices collapsed roughly 70 per cent from their late 2024 peak of $13,000 per metric tonne to around $3,000 in early 2026. Yet retail prices haven't budged. Why? Manufacturers purchased cocoa shipments at the price peak, so savings haven't trickled down yet. But even that explanation has an expiry date, and manufacturers aren't signalling any imminent relief.
The real issue is structural stickiness. Once prices rise, they stick. Smaller pack sizes get normalised. Consumers adjust expectations downward. By the time commodity costs actually fall, the damage is done.
If you're shopping for Easter treats, the advice is straightforward: compare price per 100 grams, not the headline price. Aldi and discount supermarket ranges often beat the big brands on value. And consider non-chocolate alternatives. Your Easter bill doesn't have to match these price hikes.
The federal government is introducing new rules from 1 July banning excessive pricing by Coles and Woolworths. Whether that catches up to the damage already done remains to be seen.