Manufacturers and supermarkets have jacked prices up across the board, with the price of much-loved Lindt bunnies jumping a third on 2025 prices, the consumer advocacy group CHOICE has found.
Many of the seasonal products are also victims of 'shrinkflation', where retailers make their products smaller while preserving or jacking up the cost.
In two years, four eggs have vanished from Cadbury's large hollow egg box, while the price has rocketed from $12.50 to $18.00.
The chocolatier also changed the hunter's holy grail - Cadbury's deluxe egg - for the second consecutive year, adding $3 to the 2026 price tag after shaving 60 grams from the product in 2025.
Meanwhile, Aldi has trimmed 20 grams from bannoffee and rocky road hot cross buns but kept the same price.
Manufacturers have pointed to soaring cocoa prices to justify 'shrinkflation' after poor harvests, crop disease and structural supply issues globally triggered a cocoa crisis
But prices have since plummeted 75 per cent from the 50-year high hit in 2024.
Cadbury's parent company said it had made "carefully considered adjustments" to manage cost increases while keeping products at key price points.
"Throughout this volatility, our focus has remained on delivering Australian-made quality, great taste and an Easter range that offers genuine choice and value for families," a spokeswoman for Cadbury's parent company said.
"Consumers are encouraged to shop around to find the best value. There are great specials in-store."
It also pointed to the time it takes for less-pricey cocoa beans to work their way into chocolate bars.
Aldi told AAP the company always aimed to keep prices as low as possible.
The federal government said it was cracking down on 'shrinkflation' by strengthening the unit pricing code and making it easier for Australians to make accurate and timely price comparisons.
"This is about clear, accessible information which allows shoppers to compare prices fairly and make informed choices," Assistant Competition Minister Andrew Leigh said in a statement to AAP.
"This is in addition to banning supermarket price gouging and cracking down on misleading pricing practices, as well as boosting penalties to be enforced by the (consumer watchdog)."
Research from Rabobank in 2025 warned chocolate lovers not to expect costs to return to pre-crisis levels even if the price of cocoa did.Â
The price of snacks and confectionary including chocolate ballooned by 5.6 per cent in the 12 months to January, driving general food prices skywards, ABS figures show.
Supermarkets have resisted notifying shoppers about 'shrinkflation' after that was recommended by Australia's consumer watchdog.
In better news for chocoholics, Australia's free-trade agreement with the European Union, signed on Tuesday, will drop tariffs on European-sourced chocolate. It's due to take effect in 2027.
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