Against a backdrop of cost of living pressures and the ongoing uncertainaty about geopolitics, a freeze-dried sweet brand has recently compared like-for-like prices on a range of confectionery lines.
Its reearch has shown that if families purchase popular sweet treats just once a week they could be paying almost £84 more than previously over the course of a year.
British confectionery business Crunchie Munchies compared like-for-like average prices on the Trolley.co.uk price comparison site for nine popular chocolate and ice cream products in July 2025 and July 2026.
The combined price of the basket increased from £24.11 to £25.72, meaning families now pay £1.61 more for the same products. If purchased once a week, that increase would add up to £83.72 over a year. Even families buying these sweets once a month would spend an additional £19.32 annually.
The biggest increase came from Maltesers, which rose by 88p from £5.06 to £5.94, while a Magnum Classic increased by 40p and a Cornetto Classic rose by 19p.
Flake and Cadbury Buttons also became more expensive, with Twix, Galaxy Milk Chocolate and Galaxy Minstrels remaining unchanged.
Dervis Bayram, a confectionery expert at Crunchie Munchies, said: “An extra £1.61 may not seem particularly significant during one supermarket visit, but families who regularly buy treats for weekends, film nights or school holidays could see that difference build up over the year.
“Buying the same selection once a week would now cost nearly £84 more annually, despite families taking home exactly the same products.”
Bayram added that sharing bags and family packs may appear to offer better value, but shoppers should always check the price per 100g. “A larger pack is not necessarily cheaper, particularly when smaller versions are included in supermarket or loyalty-card promotions.”
“Setting a fixed budget before shopping can help families enjoy their usual treats…”
He added that treats are often added to the trolley spontaneously, making it easy for the cost to creep up unnoticed, and offered a word of advice for shoppers. “Setting a fixed budget before shopping can help families enjoy their usual treats without the final bill becoming unexpectedly expensive.”
However, the research showed that not every popular treat had increased in price. Some remained unchanged, while Kit Kat actually became marginally cheaper.
For the research, Crunchie Munchies used YouGov Ratings’ list of the UK’s most popular confectionery products, based on popularity among all adults during the second quarter of 2026. YouGov defines popularity as the percentage of people who have a positive opinion of each product.
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