Grocery picture: chocolate, eggs, beef
Aggregate grocery inflation eased below 2% for the first time since November 2025 even as meat, produce and coffee prices continued to climb, according to Food Dive’s March roundup. Separately, a Which? alert cited by the Daily Mail shows a Galaxy Easter egg at Asda dropped from 252g for £4.98 in 2025 to 210g for £5.97 in 2026 — a shrinkflation example — while a significant drop in cocoa prices on April 14 is being watched as a potential offset. Analysts also note ground beef costs have been rising and are expected to pressure protein prices further in 2026. (fooddive.com) (dailymail.co.uk) (gurufocus.com) (cbsnews.com)
Grocery inflation cooled in March, but shoppers are still paying more for basics like beef, coffee, produce and some chocolate. (grocerydive.com) Food-at-home prices rose 1.9% from a year earlier in March, down from 1.9% in February on a rounded basis and the first sub-2% annual grocery reading since November 2025, Food Dive reported from federal inflation data. Meat, poultry, fish and eggs rose 7.9% year over year, while fruits and vegetables climbed 2.4% and nonalcoholic beverages, including coffee, rose 3.8%. (grocerydive.com) The egg spike that dominated grocery bills earlier this year has started to unwind. Marketplace reported egg prices were down nearly 45% from their recent peak even as tariffs and supply-chain strains kept pressure on other items in the cart. (marketplace.org) Chocolate shows a different squeeze: smaller packages at higher effective prices. Which? said a Galaxy Milk Chocolate Extra Large Easter Egg at Asda fell to 210 grams at £5.97 in 2026 from 252 grams at £4.98 in 2025, a 44% jump in price per gram. (which.co.uk) Asda’s current product listing shows the 210-gram Galaxy egg on sale now, matching the smaller size cited by Which?. Mars products were among the Easter items highlighted in the consumer group’s March survey of supermarket shelves. (asda.com) (which.co.uk) Cocoa prices dropped sharply on April 14, and GuruFocus said New York cocoa futures were about 75% below their earlier peak. The report said cheaper cocoa could soften candy prices later, but manufacturers are still working through higher-cost inventory bought before the slide. (gurufocus.com) Other reporting suggests that lag could last beyond Easter. Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on April 1 that shoppers should not expect cheaper chocolate on shelves yet because the retail market is still absorbing the earlier cocoa shock. (abc.net.au) Beef is moving the other way. CBS News reported on April 13 that ground beef prices have surged in recent years and are expected to rise further in 2026, adding pressure to protein costs even as headline grocery inflation cools. (cbsnews.com) The United States Department of Agriculture has already projected faster 2026 price growth for beef, nonalcoholic beverages, and sugar and sweets than for groceries overall. That leaves consumers with a mixed picture: the inflation rate is easing, but several of the items people notice most are still getting more expensive. (fooddive.com)
