Cocoa prices drop, but Easter eggs are expected to rise by 10 per cent

The price of cocoa falls, that of Easter eggs, on the other hand, rises by about 10 per cent compared to last year. A fact that has prompted consumer rights associations to investigate and also provide some advice. The starting point is the picture that has affected the sector over the past two years.

"The price of cocoa started to fall in the latter part of 2025 with cuts of 65 per cent compared to quotations that had exceeded USD 11,000 per tonne in 2024 and part of 2025," says Michele Carrus, president of Federconsumatori. "This descent is linked to favourable climatic conditions and in producer countries such as Ghana, Ivory Coast and Ecuador, more stocks were made with the result that the quotation fell to USD 2,800 per tonne, still high compared to the previous USD 2,200. This situation has also led to a drop in demand. 'We think that last year there was a reduction in purchases of one third, precisely because of the price increases,' he adds, 'and this fact has pushed the industry to a repositioning of production.

The effects of what is happening in the international scenario also enter the new picture. 'On the one hand we have the disruption of the logistics chain, linked to the war in the Middle East, which,' argues Carrus, 'conditions transport to importing countries in Europe and Asia. Then, as he points out, there is another factor that is far from negligible. "It is the speculative drive linked to the Easter festivities, particularly in the Christian world," he adds. "These are two of the classic factors that we ask to be monitored for the purposes of 'correct' consumer pricing, with all the variables obviously depending on the type of product and distribution methods. According to the president of the organisation, which also has a permanent price observatory, 'transparency' is fundamental.

"I believe it is time to review the legislation against speculation and unlawful enrichment in our country, and also in the EU," he adds, "which concerns not only this 'voluptuary' good but all the consumer goods in the shopping trolley: fresh and packaged food, personal and household care products. Here there are often excessive speculative phenomena, which put consumer families in difficulty, who have lost about 10% of their purchasing power in the last four years'.

Then there is another aspect that Carrus emphasises: 'Now the fears are more than well-founded, due to theincrease in fuel prices, given that 86 per cent of goods travel by road, and energy goods. What is needed now, before it is too late, are counter-cyclical measures from the government: cutting VAT on essential goods, cutting excise duties and system charges, reducing VAT on gas, at least temporarily'.