Shoppers at Tesco have been left in a state of disbelief and anger after encountering what many are calling a 'ridiculous' price tag for a beloved seasonal treat. The source of the uproar is a bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs, with customers taking to social media to vent their frustration over the eye-watering cost.
The Viral Moment That Sparked Outrage
The controversy came to light when Welsh bikini competitor Nickie Noo Murtagh shared a video from a Tesco store on TikTok. She had intended to buy a packet of the chocolate eggs as a final treat before resuming her diet, but the price made her think twice.
In the clip, she displayed a 256g family pack of Cadbury Mini Eggs priced at £6.20. "I was willing to overlook the fact that Easter Eggs were out on Jan 1st for a cheeky bag of Mini Eggs," she wrote in her post. "But then I saw the price tag! No way am I paying £6.20 for a bag... WTF is this price?? Used to be a £1 right??"
Her followers were quick to agree, flooding the comments with reactions. One person declared the cost "insane", while another stated it would at least stop them from buying and eating the chocolates. The sentiment was overwhelmingly one of shock at the steep increase for the product, which first launched in 1967.
Supermarket Response and the Real Reason Behind the Cost
When questioned about the pricing, Tesco clarified that the 256g pack is currently on a Clubcard offer for £5.40, asserting that this represents a competitive price compared to other retailers. However, this explanation has done little to quell the public's frustration.
The root cause of the high price lies in a global crisis. Cocoa prices have reached an all-time high, driven by a severe supply shortage. The Office for National Statistics reports that chocolate prices in the UK surged by over 17% in the year to October 2025.
A Perfect Storm of Climate and Disease
This shortage stems from devastating harvests in West Africa, where the UK sources most of its cocoa beans from Ivory Coast and Ghana. A combination of extreme weather events, including the 2023 El Niño phenomenon, droughts, and excessive rainfall, has crippled production.
Compounding the problem is the spread of crop diseases like the Cacao Swollen Shoot Virus (CSSV). The cumulative impact of the climate crisis and these blights has led to a global decline in cocoa production of more than 14%.
In response to these soaring ingredient costs, major UK chocolate manufacturers like Cadbury and Mars Wrigley have been forced to take action. The two main strategies have been to increase product prices and reduce product sizes, a dual practice widely known as 'shrinkflation'.
For British consumers, the sight of a £6.20 bag of Mini Eggs is a stark, tangible symbol of these wider economic and environmental pressures, turning a simple chocolate treat into a headline-grabbing indicator of the cost of living and global supply chain fragility.
