Alert issued to anyone buying chocolate in February

Out of 237 gifts disposable successful the accepted large 4 supermarket prices of implicit 70% person accrued (Image: Getty)

An alert has been issued to anyone buying cocoa successful February. Valentine’s Day chocolates person soared successful terms this year, with acquisition boxes of the treats up implicit 63% connected the aforesaid clip past year.

Out of 237 gifting lines disposable successful the accepted large 4 supermarkets 181 (76.4%) roseate successful price, 46 (19.4%) were the same, with lone 10 (4.2%) cheaper than they were past year, The Grocer has revealed.

One of the highest terms hikes is for boxes of Maltesers Truffles, with the 200g size up 63% successful Asda, from £4 to £6.50.

Toblerone 750g bars are up 63% successful terms successful Morrisons, from £8 to £13.

Baileys Chocolate Truffles Salted Caramel 205g are up 36%, from £5 to £6.80 successful Sainsbury’s and a Terry’s Chocolate Orange 157g is up 34%, from £1.49 to £2 successful Tesco.

The terms hike is the effect of abbreviated harvest of cocoa from westbound Africa, and its not conscionable Valentine''s Day treats that are affected.

The Grocer recovered that Morrisons Savers cocoa 100g was up 63.3% successful conscionable 1 month, from 49p to 80p portion Asda’s 100g Just Essentials are up 12.2%, from 49p to 55p. Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s Stamford Street Co 100g bars were up 10%, from £1 to £1.10.

Maltesers told the Grocer the increases were “not a determination we person taken lightly”.

Toblerone admit that the outgo of cocoa mean it was “having to marque immoderate cautiously considered database terms increases”.

Baileys and Terry’s declined to remark portion Asda and Morrisons had not responded to requests astatine the clip of publication.

Last twelvemonth University College London warned that the El Niño upwind phenomenon, which has caused drier upwind successful westbound Africa. had contributed to problems connected farms, specified arsenic the swollen sprout microorganism disease.

This meant Ghana mislaid harvests from astir 500,000 hectares of land

Reuters has besides reported that large African cocoa plants successful Ivory Coast and Ghana - 2 of the main cocoa-producing countries person stopped oregon chopped processing due to the fact that they cannot spend to bargain beans,meaning cocoa prices astir the satellite are apt to soar.

Last twelvemonth chocolate-maker started hiking prices to consumers, aft 3 years of mediocre cocoa harvests, with a 4th expected, successful the 2 countries that nutrient astir 60% of the world's cocoa.