The manufacturers have produced more than in 2023. Consumer advocates criticize: The chocolate bunnies are sometimes more than twice as expensive as a normal bar. The industry is defending itself.
Easter can come: The German confectionery industry produced around 240 million chocolate bunnies this year. This was announced by the Federal Association of the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI), based on a survey among its member companies. Last year the number of Easter bunnies was 230 million, in 2022 it will be 239 million.
Around half of the chocolate bunnies produced, around 118 million pieces, are sold in Germany. The remainder are exported abroad – primarily to neighboring European countries, but also to the USA, Canada, Australia and South Africa. According to the association, the variant made from milk chocolate is still the most popular.
“Wide price ranges are amazing”
Consumer advocates criticize that the products produced for Easter are more expensive than normal ones. “The whole milk chocolate bar from the same manufacturer can cost less than half as much as an Easter bunny per 100 grams. So the chocolate is sometimes sold twice as expensive in bunny shape,” said food expert Silvia Monetti from the North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Center.
The prices in stores are therefore very different this year. Chocolate bunnies cost between 9.93 euros and 37.90 euros per kilo, chocolate eggs between 7.25 and 29.90 euros. “Such large price ranges are astonishing, since all manufacturers are affected by higher cocoa and sugar prices,” said Monetti. She advises consumers to pay attention to the base price shown on the price tag.
Sharply increased raw material costs
The confectionery association defends the prices. The effort required to produce a chocolate bunny, chick or lamb cannot be compared to that of a chocolate bar, said BDSI Managing Director Carsten Bernoth. Easter confectionery places increased demands on product design, personnel deployment, storage and logistics.
The industry continues to be confronted with sharp increases in raw material prices. The cause is poor harvests due to weather and a shortage of supply. Last year, according to the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), a ton of cocoa cost an average of 3,000 euros; currently it is more than 6,600 euros. Consumers must therefore expect that chocolate will become more expensive. Several manufacturers such as Hershey, Nestlé, Lindt & Sprüngli have recently commented accordingly.
This year, too, the number of chocolate Easter bunnies is higher than that of Santa Claus. By Christmas 2023, manufacturers had produced 167 million pieces. A spokeswoman for the BDSI explains it like this: “The chocolate Easter bunny has less competition than the chocolate Santa Claus or Santa Claus.” During Advent and Christmas, in addition to chocolate Santa Clauses, many people also grabbed gingerbread, Stollen, Printen or dominoes. In total, around 1.2 million tons of chocolate products were produced in Germany in 2023, which is 2.3 percent more than in the previous year.
Source: Stern
