CHOC SHOCK
Cadbury Dairy Milk price rockets 12% in just one month as chocolate maker says move is a ‘last resort’
Supermarkets have increased prices by different amounts
SHOPPERS are paying as much as 12% more for a bar of Dairy Milk as the price has shot up in just a single month.
Cadbury said the hike is a "last resort" due to rising costs of cocoa in West Africa.
2
The base price of the chocolate shot up by 12.1 per cent according to data collated by .
In Sainsbury's the price for a 110g Dairy Milk bar rose from £1.65 to £1.85.
The same sized chocolate bar is now setting back shoppers 10% more in Asda up to £1.65 from £1.50.
At Waitrose customersare paying 5.7 per cent more - up to £1.85 from £1.75.
READ MORE in money
Aldi doesn't stock Dairy Milk in 110g but the price of its 95g bar is unchanged at £1.29.
And retailers Morrisons and Tesco have maintained the price of the 110g bar at £.165 and £1.49 respectively.
Supermarkets can set their own prices and decide on whether or not pass on price rises to consumers or not.
A Cadbury spokeswoman told The Grocer the price hikes were made as "a last resort".
Most read in Money
She said the brand is "continuing to experience significantly higher input costs".
She cited cocoa and sugar as "costing far more than they have done previously".
Cadbury apologises over 'huge' change to chocolate bar
Meanwhile Waitrose said it is "working hard with our suppliers to keep prices down".
The Grocer also reached out to Asda and Tesco for comment but had not yet heard back.
Aldi and Sainsbury’s declined to comment to the publication.
Cocoa crops in Ghana and the Ivory Coast are suffering shortages.
This has led to prices tripling in the first quarter of the year.
Chocolate companies buy their cocoa up to a year before they manufacture and sell their products.
This means it's likely that consumers will see further price increases in chocolate products within the next few months.
Lindt and Tony's Chocolonely also confirmed to that they will charge more for their items to counteract the rising cost of cocoa.
It comes after The Sun revealed that Mars has shrunk the size of its Celebrations tubs.
The 600g box has been cut to 550g — equal to a reduction of around five sweets.
Mars blamed the rising costs of raw materials and operations.
Cocoa prices have hit a record high following a poor harvest in Africa triggered by bad weather.
Mars has also shrunk the tub size by 17 per cent to reduce plastic.
A spokeswoman said: “It’s not a decision we have taken lightly but it’s necessary for shoppers to still enjoy their favourite Celebrations treats without compromising on quality or taste.”
When an item shrinks in size but the price stays the same, it's a tactic known as shrinkflation.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
It means shoppers won't pay more when costs increase for the company making the item, but they will get less product.
Smaller products are easier for customers to digest compared to increasing prices, making it a popular option for food manufacturers as it's less noticeable.
2
Topics