Easter bunnies, more and more expensive in Romania, the inflation champion in the EU. Why the price of sweets remains high
The prices of chocolate and cocoa-based products remain high during the Easter period, including in Romania, despite the sharp drop in world cocoa quotations, against the backdrop of higher costs previously transferred to the production chain and the persistence of market pressures, according to a specialist analysis, according to Agerpres.
“Chocolate bunnies are back on the shelves for Easter, but although current world cocoa prices have fallen sharply from last year's record highs, sweets are now more expensive than ever. Romania is currently the annual inflation 'champion' in the European Union, and when it comes to chocolate, the situation is no different. Chocolate figurines have become a popular Easter tradition, especially in urban areas, thanks to Western commercial influence, bunnies and chocolate eggs filling the shelves of supermarkets weeks before the holiday. But this year, cocoa being an essential ingredient, traditional sweets like cozonac will also be more expensive,” says eToro analyst Bogdan Maioreanu, who conducted the analysis.
According to Eurostat data, Romania is the leader in the annual inflation of chocolate, cocoa and cocoa products in the European Union. The latest data shows a 40% year-on-year price increase in January 2026.
This significant increase in prices is not specific to Romania alone, as Poland recorded an increase in chocolate prices of 24%, Greece and Germany by 20%, and Bulgaria by 17%, the cited source mentions.
The annual inflation of chocolate in the EU was 14%, while in the euro zone it was almost 13%, but Romania exceeded all these values.
“At first glance, it didn't have to be this way. Cocoa is one of the commodities that has fallen sharply in global markets in recent months. From the peak reached in May 2025, when it cost more than $11,000 per ton, the price has fallen to about $3,100, which is a drop of more than 70%. Since the beginning of this year, cocoa prices have fallen by more than 49%. But these prices refer to futures contracts, agreements that fix today the cost for cocoa to be delivered at a later date”, the analysis also shows.
In practice, companies buy raw materials in bulk to have them available for production and most likely still use those bought months ago at higher prices than today. These costs are transferred to consumers through the final products, the document also states.
“The decline in raw material prices is the result of a combination of factors along the supply chain, but has not yet been reflected in finished product prices and does not translate into chocolate prices in stores,” claims the author of the research.
Modified Recipes and Shrinkflation
In the past two years, producers have faced reduced supply and high prices due to adverse weather events. They resorted to recipe changes, reducing the cocoa content and the weight of the tablets.
Some consumers have begun to complain that chocolate no longer tastes like it used to. So far, prospects for a return to pre-shrinkflation are dim, as analysts believe the cocoa market could remain structurally fragile and volatile. This could lead companies to be cautious about returning to recipes with a higher cocoa content, the specialist notes.
However, small steps are being taken in this direction. In the US, a viral post by Brad Reese, the grandson of the inventor of Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, HB Reese, in which he accused the Hershey company of replacing milk chocolate with “compound frostings” and of using “peanut butter-type creams” instead of peanut butter, generated a reaction, notes Bogdan Maioreanu.
According to Bloomberg, the company said in its response that it will ditch compound chocolate frosting as part of a return to using “classic milk chocolate and dark chocolate recipes” in all Reese's and Hershey's products by 2027. However, the switch to pure chocolate ingredients will affect less than 3 percent of Reese's products and a small portion of Hershey's products.
In Brazil, a bill being passed in the National Congress sets minimum levels for cocoa and its derivatives used in chocolate production. The proposed amendment would also ban the use of terms such as “black” and “semi-black” on packaging. The initiatives in the Congress were well received by the manufacturers of the premium segment. Still, these are baby steps.
“Chocolate prices remain high as markets recover from years of poor production and higher-priced contracts are phased out. A slight improvement is possible, perhaps towards the end of this year, just in time for Christmas, but a return to the cheaper, bigger and better chocolate of two years ago is unlikely. By Easter, maybe the chocolate bunnies will be more expensive, fewer in number, but they will certainly bring a smile on everyone's faces, as they do every year”, claims the author of the analysis.
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Easter bunny and chocolate eggs. Illustrative image. PHOTO: dreamstime
