Chocolate prices up by almost half in just three years

“Chocolate is just one of the many foods being made more expensive by climate change-driven extreme weather hitting crops, and until we reach net zero emissions, these extremes will keep getting worse. 

“The farmers who grow the cocoa beans that become our Easter eggs have been really struggling, hit by wave after wave of extreme weather, while here at home farmers in England saw their second worst harvest on record [2] last year because of storms that were made 20% heavier and 10 times more likely by climate change [3]. 

“With our food security under threat – be it cocoa, rice, bananas or British vegetables rotting in flooded fields – farmers will need increasing support to keep on growing the food we need, in the UK but also through climate finance for farmers overseas.” 

Recent ECIU analysis [4] found that imports of cocoa beans to the UK have fallen by 10% since 2022, while the average price per kilo has gone up by a third (32%), meaning the UK is paying more for less cocoa.  

Ivory Coast and Ghana supply more than half of cocoa globally [5]. Ivory Coast was the UK’s top supplier in 2024, providing 84% of our cocoa beans worth £135 million [4]. 

2023 saw extreme rainfall in West Africa, with total precipitation more than double the 30-year average for the time of year [6] in some places, while 2024 saw extreme heat and drought. Scientists at the World Weather Attribution found that the humid heatwave last Easter was made 4°C hotter and 10 times more likely because of climate change [7]. 

West African cocoa farmers have gone from having far too much rain to not enough, all under oppressively hot temperatures. This has affected the planting, growing and harvesting of cocoa crops and continues to feed through to prices now. 

But it’s not just the crops that are affected: the farmers themselves are too. The loss of earnings has been devastating for some of the world’s most vulnerable food producers, and though extreme temperatures make it dangerous to work outside, many are risking their health and even their lives to make a living.  

Farmers in West Africa are not alone. A report by charity Christian Aid [5] highlights how cocoa producers all over the world, from Ecuador to Indonesia, are being pummelled by climate impacts. 

Because the raw product is in short supply, independent chocolate businesses in the UK have been faced with soaring input costs, with some worried they may be forced to close [8, 9]. Big confectionary companies are responding with ‘shrinkflation’, where products get smaller for the same price, outlined in a recent report on Easter eggs by consumer group Which? [10]. 

But cocoa isn’t the only commodity hit by climate change. Extreme weather is hitting food producers both at home and overseas [2, 11, 12, 13], threatening the UK’s food security. Climate change added £360 to the average household food bill across 2022 and 2023 [14], a figure that is likely to have risen given the extreme weather throughout 2024. 

Analysis has shown [15] that the UK contributes to at least 348 projects supporting farmers overseas who are struggling with climate extremes. This is alongside other major economies – like Germany and France – through six main multilateral climate funds. Support spans 111 countries, 84 of which (76%) grow food sold on UK supermarket shelves.  

Recently, several governments – including the US and UK – have announced significant cuts to their overseas assistance budgets, which pay for this kind of work.