Shrinkflation has hit the Easter egg aisle, with major suppliers reducing the weight of their treats by as much as 18% for 2026.
Malteser’s “extra-large” egg has shrunk 16% from 231g in 2025 to 194g this year. Despite the reduced weight, the product has risen in price. The 231g version was on shelf at £6 in Tesco last year and the new 194g egg is £7, equating to a 38.9% price rise by weight.
The weight decrease is explained by the removal of one 37g pack of Maltesers. Last year, the chocolate egg came with three 37g Maltesers packs. However, this year’s egg comes with only two packs.
Meanwhile, Maltesers’ Teasers large egg has shrunk by 18% from 190g to 155g, but the shelf price is up 12.5% from £4 to £4.50 in Tesco, equating to a 38% price increase by weight.
Cadbury has been up to similar tricks; its extra-large Twirl egg, which last year included two full-size bars, now comes with two individually wrapped single fingers. As such, the overall weight is down 9.5%, from 241g to 218g. Meanwhile, the shelf price has risen by 16.7%, from £6 to £7, in Tesco, meaning the price per 100g is up 28.9%.
Meanwhile, Cadbury Mini Eggs family pack has shrunk by 4%, from 270g to 256g, equivalent to around four fewer eggs per pack. It now costs £6.20 at Tesco, or £5.40 with a Clubcard, up 27.8% from £4.85 in 2025. A large Wispa egg has shrunk 3% from 182.5g to 177g but the shelf price has risen 12.5% from £4 to £4.50 in Tesco.
Lindt has not shrunk its gold bunnies. However, prices have risen 27.3% from £5.50 to £7 for the 200g format, and 21.4% from £3.50 to £4.25 for the 100g one.
Costly cocoa
While full Easter chocolate ranges have not yet rolled out, suppliers have blamed rising manufacturing costs for shrinking products and soaring prices. A spokeswoman for Maltesers owner Mars Wrigley UKI said: “We will always absorb pricing pressures where we can, but rising manufacturing costs – driven in part by well-documented increases in the cost of cocoa – have meant that we’ve had to adjust some of our product sizes.
“It’s not a decision we take lightly, but it ensures families can still enjoy their favourite Easter products without compromising on quality or taste. All product pricing is at the discretion of the retailer.”
A spokesman for Cadbury owner Mondelez said: “Any changes to our product sizes is a last resort for our business. However, as a food producer, we are continuing to experience significantly higher input costs across our supply chain, with ingredients such as cocoa and dairy, which are widely used in our products, costing far more than they have done previously.
“Meanwhile, other costs, like energy and transport, also remain high. This means that our products continue to be much more expensive to make and while we have absorbed these costs where possible, we still face considerable challenges.
“As a result of this difficult environment, we have had to make the decision to slightly reduce the weight across some of our range so that we can continue to provide consumers with the brands they love, without compromising on the great taste and quality they expect. Please note retailers are free to set their own prices.”
While Tesco declined to comment, Andrew Opie, director of food & sustainability at the BRC, said changes to size and price for branded goods were “largely determined by the brands themselves, reflecting the costs of production they face”.
“Retailers are doing everything they can to offer great value to their customers despite rising costs in the food supply chain,” he said.
“Chocolate has been hard hit by high global cocoa prices. However, wholesale prices have started to ease as harvests improve in key producing regions.”
Lindt had not responded to requests by the time of writing.
Six in 10 consumers consider shrinkflation to be “very unfair”, according to research published earlier this week.
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