Sainsbury’s and Morrisons are selling Maltesers at a higher price per kilogram than sirloin steak, following record levels of cocoa inflation.
Maltesers White Chocolate 30g is priced at £1.20 in Morrisons (£40/kg), while Maltesers White More To Share Pouch 126g is priced at £4 in Sainsbury’s (£31.74/kg).
Meanwhile, Morrisons British Sirloin Steak 227g and Sainsbury’s British or Irish 21 Day Matured Sirloin Steak 225g, both priced at £7, are both cheaper by weight than the Maltesers products, at £30.84 per kilo and £31.11 per kilo, respectively.
Pre-promotional Maltesers prices have risen by as much as 16% across the traditional big four in recent weeks, according to The Grocer’s analysis of Assosia data [12 w/e 26 November].
For instance, Maltesers Milk Chocolate 93g packs rose in price from £1.61 (£17.31/kg) to £1.75 (£18.81/kg) in Asda on 10 October, before rising in price again to £1.88 (£20.22/kg) on 15 October – a 16.8% increase overall.
Meanwhile, Maltesers Milk Chocolate 37g packs rose 14.3% from £1.05 (£28.38/kg) to £1.20 (£32.43/kg) on 9 October in Sainsbury’s.
In Morrisons, Maltesers White Chocolate 30g rose 14.3% from £1.05 (£35/kg) to £1.20 (£40/kg) on 10 November.
Maltesers Milk Chocolate 93g rose 6% from £1.65 (£17.74/kg) to £1.75 (£18.82/kg) on 22 November in Tesco.
Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Maltesers owner Mars Wrigley declined to comment on the price increases, while Asda and Tesco had not responded by the time of publication.
Record cocoa prices
It comes after global cocoa prices hit a record $12k per tonne in January 2025 after heavy rainfall and drought hit successive crops in Ghana and Ivory Coast, according to the World Bank.
According to one senior industry insider, the percentage increase on cocoa butter (which is used to make white chocolate) was “even higher” than on cocoa mass, which could explain why white chocolate Maltesers are more expensive by weight than their milk chocolate counterparts.
Mars Wrigley shrunk sharing bags of its treats, including Galaxy Minstrels, M&M’s and Revels in February to mitigate soaring input costs.
“Reducing the size of some of our products, whilst raising prices, is not a decision we have taken lightly but it is necessary for shoppers to still be able to enjoy their favourite treats without compromising on quality or taste,” said a Mars Wrigley spokeswoman at the time.
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