UK households 'stocking up' on chocolate for Halloween issued £45 warning

An increase of 11 per cent in a year far outstrips grocery inflation in UK, according to the consumer group Which?.

UK households have been warned over a rise in the price of chocoalte as we head deeper into autumn and towards Halloween and Christmas. An increase of 11 per cent in a year far outstrips grocery inflation in UK, according to the consumer group Which?.

The cost of chocolate rose sharply in the year to the end of August, way above wider grocery inflation of 2.7 per cent over the same period, according to research by the consumer group. Which? found the cost of Sainsbury’s milk chocolate (100g) almost doubled.

It went from an average of 95p in the three months to the end of August 2023 to £1.84 in the same period in 2024. A 210g assortment of Prestat chocolates and truffles on Ocado increased by 88%, from £17 in the three months to the end of August 2023 to a whopping £32 a year later.

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An 80g dairy-free chocolate bar sold by Asda rose from £1.50 to £2.40 – an increase of 60 per cent. At Sainsbury’s, a Cadbury multipack of treat-sized chocolate bars increased from £2.50 to £3.72. At Morrisons, a 360g Cadbury Milk Tray chocolate box rose from £4.01 to £5.74.

At Asda, a multipack of caramel and white Twix fingers increased from £1.65 to £2.35 – all price rises of more than 40 per cent in just a year. Buying all the items would cost households £45 - up from £26, or a £19 increase. Ele Clark, Which? retail editor, said: “Our research shows that despite overall food and drink inflation continuing to fall, chocolate prices have risen dramatically in the last year.

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“To ensure you get the best value for money on your Halloween chocolate, shop around and compare the price per gram across different pack sizes, retailers and brands.” An Asda spokesperson said: “Asda is consistently recognised as the best-value traditional supermarket in independent price comparison surveys, including the Grocer 33 basket comparison and the Which? monthly big shop trolley comparison.

"This is despite these surveys now including loyalty pricing.”