Highlights
- Lindt chocolate products lead price rises with increases up to 72 per cent at major supermarkets.
- Turkey prices rise by as much as £15, with average inflation of 4.7 per cent across all turkey products.
- Waitrose records highest overall price increase at 6.2 per cent, while Asda keeps rises lowest at 3 per cent.
Christmas shoppers are facing significantly higher prices for festive food this year, with some chocolate treats costing up to 70 per cent more than in 2024, according to consumer champion Which?
The organisation analysed typical Christmas dinner ingredients and seasonal favourites including mince pies, sparkling wine and chocolates across major UK supermarkets.
Festive chocolate showed the steepest price increases. Lindt Lindor milk chocolate truffles treat box at Asda rose 72 per cent to £1.98 from £1.15 last year. At Morrisons, Lindt Milk Chocolate Teddy Christmas tree decorations jumped 71 per cent from £3.50 to £6.
Other notable increases included Terry's chocolate orange dark ball, Galaxy's milk chocolate sharing block and Kinder's milk chocolate multipack.
Overall, chocolate prices have increased by an average of 14 per cent year-on-year, driven by poor cocoa harvests in major growing regions affected by extreme temperatures and heavy rainfall.
Turkey costs climb
Turkey prices have seen the largest monetary increases. A Tesco Finest free range medium bronze turkey crown rose £14.95 to £68.77, a 27.8 per cent increase. Which? attributed individual price rises to challenges including bird flu and rising costs for farmers.
Reena Sewraz, retail editor at Which?, told The Guardian "Blanket inflation figures do not show the full picture of what shoppers face at the supermarket when doing their Christmas food shop. Some individual items have shot up by more than 70 per cent in price year on year."
Among major supermarket chains, Waitrose raised prices the most at 6.2 per centcompared to last Christmas.
The retailer explained that some products discounted last year were not reduced this Christmas. Asda maintained the lowest overall annual price increases at 3 per cent.
Meanwhile, Sainsbury's highlighted its ongoing offers, including price-matched mince pies from £1.25 and classic vegetable trimmings for just 15p with Nectar prices from 18 December through Christmas Eve.
