‘What a joke’: Shock price of Easter eggs at Coles and Woolies

Aussies have been seeing it for a few years now, but the rising price of a cult supermarket item is showing no signs of slowing down.

We’re still two months away from celebrating Easter, but Aussies have spotted an issue with the annual celebrations that has left a bad taste in their mouths.

While supermarkets are already stacked with chocolate eggs and bunnies, some have shared their surprise at the price of the staple goodies, labelling it “a joke”.

Soaring cocoa prices have pushed up the cost of the popular festive treats (again) by as much as 20 per cent and it appears the increase has been passed onto consumers.

One shopper took aim at the current price of beloved Easter favourites such as Lindt Gold Bunnies and Cadbury Dairy Milk Eggs, declaring on social media that “Easter is cancelled”.

“One Lindt bunny on its own is $18?!” TikTok user @carinanatalie0 wrote in a video taken from her local Coles supermarket, showing the price of various Easter eggs on shelves, including a Cadbury Humpty Dumpty for $9.50, a 350g Cadbury Dairy Milk egg for $20 and $9 for a packet of Coles brand mini eggs.

Aussies have been left with a bad taste in their mouths after spotting the costs of Easter favourites have dramatically rised in price. Picture: Reddit

A similar video shared by user @skye.loves pans the Easter egg aisle at her local Woolworths, revealing 250g Cadbury Dairy Milk bunnies for $12 and a 440g packet of Dairy Milk mini eggs for $15.

A Reddit post reveals a shopper’s gripe after discovering the discounted price of Cadbury Caramilk mini eggs at Coles. “$10 for two packets of Easter eggs with about 10 eggs each at Coles - what a joke,” the post reads.

Others were quick to jump in with their own experiences. “And that’s the discounted price. ColesWorth [Coles and Woolworths] make it really easy to not eat junk food these days,” a reddit user commented.

“Might be a pretty healthy Easter this year,” another commented.

“Cadbury chocolate is through the roof at the atm, have been avoiding,” one said.

Another Reddit user advised: “Yeh I won’t be buying them at that price. Wait until after Easter and buy them when heavily discounted lol.”

A spokesperson for Cadbury blamed the “record cocoa pricing” as well as “other high input costs” for its “challenging chocolate production”.

Coles and Woolies both stock the popular products including Cadbury Eggs and Lindy Bunnies. Picture: TikTok/@carinanatalie0

Some have labelled the price hike, caused by soaring cocoa costs, ‘a joke’. Picture: TikTok/@skye.loves

“We’re working hard to absorb costs where possible while reimagining how we can bring joy at Easter time,” a statement issued to news.com.au read.

“This year, we have spent time reviewing our portfolio to have a wide range of Cadbury easter eggs and bunnies available in a variety of sizes and RRP so there’s something for everyone.

“We encourage Australians to shop around for the best value.”

The price surge is driven by bad weather and crop disease in West Africa, where the majority of the world’s cocoa is grown.

Global cocoa prices have sat at around $US2000 ($A3187) per ton for some time, but 2024 saw one of the biggest shake-ups the market has experienced in recent memory, sending prices per ton skyrocketing past $US12,000 ($A19,000).

Prices have since settled at about $US10,000 per ton, but the damage has already been done.

Lindt & Sprungli, another of the world’s largest chocolate makers, also blamed these conditions for the worrying situation.

“Chocolate prices in the market reflect the increase in cocoa prices. The cocoa price has quadrupled in the last two years,” a spokesperson for the Swiss brand told news.com.au.

“Therefore, price increases for chocolate products are unavoidable, even though we strive to compensate for higher costs as much as possible through efficiency improvements and cost-cutting measures.”

A 200g Lindt Gold Bunny is now $18.

Cadbury Creme Egg Minis have also soared past $5 in some areas.

The impact has already hitting supermarket shelves around Australia.

Coles is selling a packet of Cadbury Dairy Milk Eggs for $7 or two for $10.

A 160g Kinder Surprise Bunny will set you back $12.80, while a 200g Lindt Gold Bunny is $18.

A packet of Cadbury Creme Egg Minis has also soared past $5 in some areas.

Woolworths has dropped the price of a 300g bag of Lindt Lindor Assorted Mini Eggs from $30 to $15, but expect those discounts to be short-lived.

Coles said it was “working closely with suppliers to offer competitive prices” on the festive favourites.

“Ingredients play a crucial role in determining prices at the checkout,” the spokesperson told news.com.au.

“We know there are significant global challenges in the supply of cocoa beans, which have impacted production costs across the industry for many suppliers.”

Coles said it was ‘working closely with suppliers to offer competitive prices’ on the festive favourites. Picture: news.com.au

Woolies echoed this sentiment, stating it was hoping to provide ‘great value’ to Aussies at the tills. Picture: news.com.au

Woolies echoed this sentiment, stating it was hoping to provide “great value” to Aussies at the tills.

“Despite the cocoa supply challenges that chocolate manufacturers are continuing to experience, we’re working to help keep Easter chocolate affordable and accessible,” a spokesperson said,

Queensland University of Technology professor Garry Mortimer told Channel 9 he expects the price hikes will change shopping habits, as the common Aussie continues to get squeezed by rampant cost of living pressures.

“Ultimately, we’ve seen the commodity price of cocoa, essentially chocolate, skyrocket in the last 12 to 18 months,” Prof Mortimer said. “You’d expect to see retail prices lift anywhere between 10 to 20 per cent.”

He predicts that shoppers will start looking for alternatives, moving away from premium brands like Lindt and Kinder and opting for supermarket private-label chocolates or cheaper alternatives.

Originally published as ‘What a joke’: Shock price of Easter eggs at Coles and Woolies